UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will return to the Octagon next weekend. After weeks of preparation for Charles Oliveira, the Russian will now face Alexander Volkanovski, in what will be an immediate rematch. So ahead of his fight, we look back at his MMA record to see how many times he has lost.
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Makhachev has dominated his division in recent years. The Russian has racked up the longest active winning streak with 12 straight wins. Moreover, this includes wins over Dan Hooker, Charles Oliveira, and Alexander Volkanovski. So let’s see who beat the dominant Russian.
Ahead of UFC 294, Check Out Against Whom Islam Makhachev Suffered Defeat in His Career
How many fights has Islam Makhachev lost?
Islam Makhachev has lost only one fight in his professional MMA career. The Russian has an impressive 24-1 record in the sport. His only defeat came back in 2015 at the hands of Adriano Martins. And here’s what happened in the fight.
Makhachev entered the octagon as the favorite. He came with a lot of hype and it was just his second UFC contest. And the Russian started well. He landed a few good overhand left, which hurt Martins. The Brazilian struggled to find his range while Makhachev started getting in a groove. However, Martins managed to avoid the first takedown defense.
Since the left overhand had so much success, Makhachev went back to it. This time, however, he missed. This presented Martins with the perfect opportunity to counter the Russian while he was in range. And that’s exactly what the Brazilian did. He landed a perfect, heavy, and precise counter right hand and knocked down the Russian. The referee stepped in and then called off the fight.
To this day, it remains Makhachev’s only defeat in the octagon. However, speaking about the defeat a few years later, the Russian claimed that his defeat was a lucky punch. And that the defeat to Martins changed him a lot and opened his eyes to the fact that anyone can knock out anyone in MMA.
Some fans will also argue that Makhachev lost to Volkanovski in their first meeting. However, the controversial scorecards show Makhachev beat the Australian. Therefore, both fighters have an opportunity to make their point next weekend.
What do you make of Islam Makhachev’s record? Do you think Alexander Volkanovski can be the second person to knock him out?
Editors pick
