Throwback: Islam Makhachev almost got choked out once in his early UFC days
Islam Makhachev is considered by many to be one of the most prolific grapplers in the UFC. To put it into perspective, the Dagestani has 11 submission finishes on his resume.
He even holds a submission win over the jiu-jitsu extraordinaire Charles Oliveira, who is one of the greatest submission artists in MMA.
Interestingly, early in his UFC career, the sambo maestro almost fell prey to a submission defeat.
In his third fight for the American promotion, Makachev faced Chris Wade at UFC Fight Night 94. During the second round of the fight, Wade countered a takedown attempt by the Russian with a guillotine choke.
Although the choke seemed tight, Makhachev quickly let the referee know that he was okay. Eventually, the reigning lightweight champion was able to reverse position, gain top control and break out of the choke.
I didn’t know Islam has almost been choked out once in the UFC 😮
This was way closer than Dustin’s gilly on Khabib imo https://t.co/fxLDXPXcnz
Ultimately, the 31-year-old ended up winning the bout by unanimous decision. The win against Chris Wade marked the beginning of the Dagestani's current 11-fight win streak.
He is currently 23-1 as a mixed martial artist. In his last fight at UFC 280, Makhachev claimed the vacant lightweight strap, submitting Charles Oliveira in the second round via an arm-triangle choke.
Watch Islam Makhachev submit Charles Oliveira below:
Islam Makhachev will next be seen against pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 on February 11 in Perth, Australia. If the Russian wins the matchup, he will most likely take over the top position on the promotion's pound-for-pound ladder.
Islam Makhachev wants to knock out Alexander Volkanovski
During a recent interview with ESPN MMA in the lead-up to his first title defense against Alexander Volkanovski, the 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev said that he wants to knock out 'The Great' at UFC 284.
As per the Russian, fight fans see him as just a grappler. Makhachev feels it is time to show the world his competent standup game. The No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter added that he truly believes that he can knockout the Australian:
"Honestly, I want to knock him out, you know, because everyone says Islam is a grappler, wrestler but I want to show people my striking, you know. He [Alexander Volkanovksi] is a short guy and I really believe I can knock him out."
Catch Islam Makhachev's comments on fighting Alexander Volkanovski below:
However, Islam's wish is not going to come easy. Volkanovski is one of the best strikers in the UFC. 'The Great' boasts wins over high-caliber strikers like Max Holloway and Jose Aldo, among others.