Makhachev will try to win record 4th lightweight title defense when he faces Tsarukyan
Islam Makhachev said he isn’t concerned with being known as the greatest lightweight of all time, but does value setting records and earning his way into the UFC Hall of Fame.
He has a chance to do something Saturday night in Inglewood, California, that no other fighter in his division has ever accomplished — successfully defend his belt four times. Four others have done it three times.
And if he does that, Makhachev puts himself in lightweight GOAT status. Standing in his way is top-ranked challenger Arman Tsarukyan.
Makhachev is one of three fighters who will enter the Octagon from the same Russian gym. Umar Nurmagomedov will try to win the bantamweight championship in the co-main event and Tagir Ulanbekov will compete in a flyweight match.
“This is the biggest night for the team,” Makhachev said.
Makhachev, 33, takes a 26-1 record into the fight that includes a division-record 14-match winning streak. He claimed his first championship Oct. 22, 2022, in a second-round submission of Charles Oliveira. Makhachev since twice defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski and once against Dustin Poirier.
Two of those fights ended before the final bell, and the one that went the distance — the first meeting with Volkanovski — was a unanimous decision.
To keep the roll going, Makhachev meets a fighter from Armenia who is five years his junior and comes in with his own impressive 22-3 record that includes nine victories in his previous 10 bouts.
Makhachev is a -375 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook.
“All fighters from contenders to fighting for the title, they’re all dangerous,” Makhachev said. “If I let him work, it’s going to be a tough fight. But if I follow my plan, it’s going to be easy.”
This is their second meeting. Makhachev won the first one nearly six years ago by unanimous decision.
He said his unfamiliarity with his opponent led him to maybe underestimate someone making his UFC debut.
“I’m always good in a rematch,” Makhachev said. “I will be more prepared. Now I know everything about what Arman can do and I know his style. He has the same style always. He has good wrestling. In my opinion, that’s why he’s the No. 1 contender right now because in our division, we don’t have many high-level wrestlers.”
Tsarukyan said he has been waiting for this opportunity since Makhachev became the champion, hoping that one day he would get his shot. He knew he had some work to do first, working his way up from around a No. 10 ranking.
Now he’s here.
“When they told me I was going to fight for the title, I was super happy,” Tsarukyan said. “But now I’m just focusing on the fight. I’m not thinking, ‘OK, I just got what I wanted.’ The main goal is to be a champion, not that I just got to go fight for the title.”
Should Tsarukyan win, talk will quickly turn to whether a third fight should occur.
“Everybody is waiting for this fight,” Tsarukyan said. “The trilology is going to be the same. Everybody is going to talk about this fight. Our fight was almost six years ago, and everybody talks about that fight as well. I can’t imagine what will happen this Saturday. We have improved so much. Everybody’s going to talk about this fight 10 years from now as well.”
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
By MARK ANDERSON
AP Sports Writer
