Islam Makhachev's bizarre post posing in front of fire extinguishers has fans intrigued: "Book him and Gaethje"
Islam Makhachev has intrigued MMA fans with a cryptic social media post. The reigning UFC lightweight champion shared a selfie in front of fire extinguishers captioned with a hint that someone needs to be put out. While the post seemed random, fight fans quickly began speculating about its hidden meaning, given the recent turmoil in the lightweight division.
The Dagestani fighter's post comes in the wake of Dan Hooker pulling out of his highly anticipated UFC 313 co-main event against Justin Gaethje. With Gaethje now left without an opponent, the MMA community has been abuzz with suggestions, and one name that keeps popping up is Makhachev.
Check out Islam Makhachev's post below:
Fans are asking if the UFC could swoop in to book a last-minute showdown between the champion and 'The Highlight'.
One fan said:
"Book him and Gaethje."
Some commented:
"PLZ ISLAM FIGHT JUSTIN"
"I bet he thought this was a banger"
"Someone check his basement asap!"
Others said:
"Thats most likely a joke but imagine he fights Gaethje on short notice."
"Champ is cooking. Love it"
Check out a compilation of fan reactions below:
![Fan comments on Islam Makhachev's X post [Screenshots courtesy:@ChampRDS on X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/4603f-17405093670140-1920.jpg?w=500)
Islam Makhachev’s genius setup: How he baited Renato Moicano into the perfect D'arce choke?
Islam Makhachev once again proved how complete his combat sport IQ during his submission win over Renato Moicano. Not only did he put immense pressure, but he also allowed Moicano a tactical stand-up which completely fell into his trap for the submission.
By allowing Moicano to focus on getting to his feet, he trapped the head and arm with great ease, which opened up the opportunity for the short-grip D'Arce choke. This series concentrated on strength and how the Dagestani baits opponents into making mistakes depending on positional awareness and timing.
Instead of overpowering Moicano, Makhachev slowly but inevitably drew him into a weak position, as the Brazilian himself admitted afterward. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Moicano said:
"Everybody talks about how heavy he is, but in reality I was heavier than him in numbers, I was 181 and he was 178. I didn't feel he is that strong at all, at least on the pressure, but like you see I cannot say that because I feel like, he let me get up... I rushed trying to get on my feet and unfortunately he got a very tight position, I was very impressed.. No excuse Islam is a great fighter... I just feel frustrated about myself making such an amateur mistake."
Check out Renato Moicano's comments in the video below: