Islam Makhachev's winning streak is second only to champion Charles Oliveira's in the UFC lightweight division
Islam Makhachev furthered his winning streak to eight this weekend in the main event of UFC Vegas 31.
Charles Oliveira is the only lightweight with an active winning streak that is longer than Islam Makhachev.
Charles Oliveira is currently riding a nine-fight winning streak. The latest addition to his row of victories was his emphatic championship crowning against Michael Chandler at UFC 262.
Tracing the winning streak: Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev holds a mixed martial arts record of 20-1. The sole loss of his career came in his second fight under the UFC banner against Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in October 2015. Martins was able to do away with the impending storm of Islam Makhachev by knocking him out in under two minutes of the very first round.
It was after this loss that Islam Makhachev set out to create his winning streak. His first fight after the loss was against Chris Wade in September 2016. Islam Makhachev re-established his dominance inside the octagon by winning the fight on the scorecards of all three judges.
The following are the names of the fighters who became a part of Makhchev's incredible streak before UFC Vegas 31:
- Chris Wade
- Nik Lentz
- Gleisonn Tibau
- Kajan Johnson
- Arman Tsarukyan
- Davi Ramos
- Drew Dober
At UFC Vegas 31, Islam Makhachev added the eighth name to his winning streak. Thiago Moises proved to be a far greater challenge than anyone was expecting. However, Islam Makhachev remained composed and controlled the majority of the contest.
The Dagestani locked in a rear-naked choke in the fourth round of the fight and forced Moises to tap out and, in doing so, won his first-ever UFC main event.
Tracing the winning streak: Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira has been widely recognized by the MMA community as a fighter who has battled the lowest of lows to reach the pinnacle of success for any mixed martial artist.
Oliveira has been with the UFC for over a decade. He used to compete as a featherweight, and shifted up to lightweight in 2017. At the time, he held a professional MMA record of 22-7.
After making a successful return to 155 pounds with a win over Will Brooks, Oliveira would hit a rough patch yet again when Paul Felder defeated him via a TKO at UFC 218.
That, however, was Oliveira's last loss in the UFC. Thereafter, Charles Oliveira embarked upon an incredible winning streak, emerging as a top contender for the title. The names beaten during Charles Oliveira's winning streak are:
- Clay Guida
- Christos Giagos
- Jim Miller
- David Teymur
- Nik Lentz
- Jared Gordon
- Kevin Lee
- Tony Ferguson
- Michael Chandler
Oliveira is likely to face Dustin Poirier in his first title defense. Do you think Charles Oliveira will be able to best 'The Diamond' to bring his winning streak to an even 10? Cast your predictions in the comments section!