UFC 294 takeaways: Makhachev ends the pound-for-pound debate, so what’s next?،
UFC 294 ended quickly with a headbutt from Islam Makhachev to Alexander Volkanovski. Before this fight, Kamaru Usman put up a good effort, but couldn’t stop Khamzat Chimaev from scoring the biggest victory of his career. Makhachev and Chimaev displayed their dominance on Saturday, as did a number of emerging prospects. Here’s what Brett Okamoto and Marc Raimondi remember from a dramatic event in Abu Dhabi.
There is no longer any doubt: Islam Makhachev is the best fighter in the world, pound for pound.
On Saturday at UFC 294, Makhachev not only beat Alexander Volkanovski to defend his UFC lightweight title. He stopped Volkanovski, the featherweight champion, with authority – a left kick to the head that sent Volkanovski crashing to the canvas. Volkanovski hadn’t finished in 10 years, dating back to his fourth career fight.
There is of course a caveat here. Volkanovski arrived on 11 days’ notice. Makhachev was already preparing to fight in Abu Dhabi against Charles Oliveira until Oliveira received a reduction in training and was forced to withdraw. Was this the best version of Volkanovski? Of course not. But neither can we discredit Makhachev, who was training to compete with a completely different style. Oliveira is a tall, slender Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter who is dangerous with his Muay Thai. Volkanovski is a small, versatile and stocky player.
Additionally, Makhachev previously defeated Volkanovski in February at UFC 284. With a full camp for both. There’s no asterisk on it. If you have Makhachev and Volkanovski at Nos. 1 and 2 pound-for-pound, as many do, Makhachev is now 2-0 in this series. It is difficult not to say that the fighter from Dagestan is currently the best in the world.
The conversation about Jon Jones is different, considering him specifically as the current heavyweight champion. Jones has never really lost in the Octagon and his resume is better than anyone in the history of the sport. There is no doubt and no one is really close to it. But at the moment it’s hard to say that what he’s doing is more impressive than Makhachev’s. If Jones comes out and steamrolls Stipe Miocic at UFC 295, we may see this conversation again.
But what about the man who helped Makhachev prepare for this fight? Could he surpass the achievements of his dear friend and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov? Makhachev has 14 victories in the UFC, one more than Nurmagomedov. Comparing further, Nurmagomedov had three lightweight title defenses; it was only Makhachev’s second. And then, of course, there’s the fact that Nurmagomedov never lost and retired undefeated.
Makhachev tied Nurmagomedov’s 13-fight winning streak in the UFC on Saturday. This is the third longest mark in the promotion’s history. Only Anderson Silva (16 years old) and Kamaru Usman (15 years old) had more. With a few more wins, Makhachev will have to start entering the conversation not only with Nurmagomedov, but also among the greatest of all time.
But now? Yes, it’s the best in the world. – Raimondi
Who’s next? By Brett Okamoto
Who should be the next Islam Makhachev: Charles Oliveira
This is a difficult question. Justin Gaethje deserves his chance and he did nothing wrong. He fought who he needed to fight to put him back in that position. He accepted a fight against Rafael Fiziev, a guy no one really wanted to fight. He then eliminated Dustin Poirier in spectacular fashion. He deserves to fight for the belt, soon. But the problem is that Oliveira also did what was asked of him. He knocked out Beneil Dariush in July, and while it may have been his “fault” that he couldn’t make it to Abu Dhabi this month, I hate to see an opportunity lost due to a injury.
Oliveira has a victory over Gaethje. I think you should probably give Oliveira the opportunity again, but this one is really tough.
Joker: Justin Gaethje
This is a new opponent for Makhachev, which I suppose he would appreciate. It’s a good thing for the fans. The UFC can do no wrong here. If they choose to go with Gaethje, it’s justified.
Who should be the next featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski: Ilia Topuria
That was the plan, before Volkanovski took this fight on 11 days’ notice. Nothing changes, except maybe the date it happens. But even that probably won’t change.
Volkanovski wants to be as active as possible. If he’s ready to go in January, the UFC will likely pit him against Topuria for the first pay-per-view of the year.
Generic character: Person
There really isn’t one. Topuria is the only obvious title challenger here. If something were to happen to Topuria, they might even choose to wait, depending on how long the delay is. Volkanovski has been so good that he doesn’t have many challenges left. Topuria is the next stop, pretty much in all circumstances.
Who should be next for Khamzat Chimaev: Sean Strickland, for UFC middleweight title
Let’s be real, Chimaev was ready to fight for a UFC championship three years ago. Did he have growing pains from time to time? Yes. But we are dealing with one of the biggest fighters in the world, capable of beating anyone.
He will be a betting favorite against Strickland – and any other middleweight. If he can move up to welterweight again, he would also be a favorite to beat Leon Edwards. He’s talked about being a champion in three weight classes, and right now, no one can say for sure that he’s not capable of doing that. The middleweights will be the ones he picks first.
Joker: Paulo Costa
If for some reason a title shot didn’t happen, I imagine the UFC would alter the original Chimaev vs. Costa fight. But I expect the title fight to happen.
What should be next for Kamaru Usman: Wait
We have to see what happens between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington in December.
If Covington wins, which is certainly possible, Usman has two wins against him and just scored a moral victory of sorts against Chimaev. To compete like he did on 10 days’ notice against a monster like that, no one can say Usman doesn’t have enough left if he wants to continue.
But which confrontations make sense for him? There aren’t a ton, if we’re honest. So wait. And I hope Covington beats Edwards. Because if Covington holds the belt, Usman might not even need another win to get a title shot. And that’s a shock, considering he’s now lost three in a row.
Who is next for Said Nurmagomedov? : Chris Gutierrez
Nurmagomedov has had his ups and downs so far in the UFC. When he has been good, his ceiling seems to be off the charts. When he struggled, it was difficult to place him in the bantamweight division rankings. On the surface, he has all the intangibles one looks for in a future champion, but he lost twice as a betting favorite and had a very competitive fight against the good (but relatively unknown) Saidyokub Kakhramonov.
His most recent loss came against Martinez, who is a teammate of Gutierrez. I really like this fight stylistically, and it would be a chance for Nurmagomedov to somewhat avenge a loss to Gutierrez’s Factory X gym in Colorado.
Joker: Kyler Phillips
There are plenty of good matchups for Nurmagomedov, as the bantamweights are stacked at the top and have plenty of depth waiting even beyond the top 15. Phillips is 5-1 in the UFC, and the promotion has actually booked this fight earlier this year in August and Nurmagomedov was forced to withdraw.
It made sense then and it makes sense now. Two of the best 135-pounders in the division who are currently not ranked in the top 15.
Did Muhammad Mokaev have his breakthrough moment?
If Tim Elliott was considered a goaltender in this equation, then consider the door open for Muhammad Mokaev.
The 23-year-old has shown incredible promise so far in the UFC. His wrestling is dominant and he has been able to survive some very close submissions in his last few fights. Elliott’s third-round submission (arm-triangle choke) represents the greatest moment of his young career. The only thing left for him to do next is a fight between competitors.
Mokaev called out top contender Kai Kara-France during his post-fight interview, then said he would settle for a title fight. But let’s not go too far. There are some very good fighters at the top of the flyweight division and all of them have done more at this point than Mokaev.
But the Dagestan-born Briton then won a legitimate 125-pound fighter, someone like Amir Albazi or a Matheus Nicolau. Eventually, Mokaev will meet someone he can’t completely intimidate with his wrestling. That day wasn’t Saturday, but it won’t get any easier from here. We’ll see if he can live up to it.
Shara Magomedov impresses in UFC debut
It was only her UFC debut, but Shara Magomedov already looks like a unique matchup for most of the promotion’s middleweights. He has a multitude of unorthodox kicks from different angles and did a lot of damage against Bruno Silva with a left kick from the orthodox stance to the outside of Silva’s front leg, particularly his thigh. The popular kick attack in MMA these days is a roundhouse with the back leg towards the opponent’s main calf.
Magomedov seems like a different guy, in general. He is from Dagestan, but also represents Shanghai, China. He has a gray right eye due to problems following surgery. Although he could use better takedown defense, “Shara Bullet” is aggressive, fun to watch, and clearly has excellent striking. He is someone to watch in the 185-pound division. -RaimondI
