Islam Makhachev was born on October 27, 1991, in Makhachkala, Dagestan in USSR (now Russia). He was brought up in his native village of Brushi. Makhachev is part of an elite group of Dagestani mixed martial artists who are dominating the combat sports arena in current times. He initially trained in Sambo and won the World Sambo Championship by defeating his Bulgarian rival Valentin Benishiv.
Islam Makhachev made his professional mixed martial arts debut against Magomed Bekbolatov at Tsumada Fighting Championship 4, on August 1, 2010, at Tsumadinsky, Russia. He won the bout via unanimous decision and registered his first professional victory. Following his debut, Makhachev established an impeccable win streak of 12 fights before losing a professional fight.
Islam Makhachev signed a four-fight deal with one of the largest mixed martial arts promotions, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2014. In his first showdown for the organization, Makhachev locked horns with Leo Kuntz at UFC 187, on May 23, 2015, in Las Vegas Nevada, United States. He won the bout by submitting Kuntz with a rear-naked choke in the second round of the fight.
After making a statement in his inaugural outing to the octagon for UFC, Islam Makhachev faced Adriano Martins at UFC 192, on October 3, 2015, in Houston, Texas, United States. The bout ended in the first and only professional loss of Islam Makhachev, as Matins knocked him out in the first round of their showdown.
Islam Makhachev recovered from his loss by returning to winning ways and maintains an impressive 14-fight win streak. Makhachev locked horns with Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight championship at UFC 280 on October 22, 2022, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He defeated Oliveira by submitting him with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of the fight and won the lightweight title.
In his recent fight, Islam Makhachev was pitted against former UFC flyweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski in his second title defense at UFC 294, on October 21, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Makhachev won the fight via a first-round knockout. On three of his recent two outings to the octagon, he won the Performance of The Night award besides winning the fights.
Moreover, the lightweight champion defended the title for the third time against the former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302.
Islam Makhachev UFC Record
Islam Makhachev has a record of 15 wins and 1 loss, in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has only lost one professional bout in the promotion against Adriano Martins on UFC at UFC 192.
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 15-1 | Dustin Poirier | Submission | UFC 302 | 2-Jun-2024 | 5 | 2:42 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Defended the UFC Lightweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 14-1 | Alexander Volkanovski | KO | UFC 294 | 21-Oct-23 | 1 | 3:06 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Defended the UFC Lightweight Championship.Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 13–1 | Alexander Volkanovski | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 284 | 12-Feb-23 | 5 | 5:00 | Perth, Australia | Defended the UFC Lightweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 12–1 | Charles Oliveira | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC 280 | 22-Oct-22 | 2 | 3:16 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Won the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 11–1 | Bobby Green | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green | 26-Feb-22 | 1 | 3:23 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (160 lb) bout. |
| Win | 10–1 | Dan Hooker | Submission (kimura) | UFC 267 | 30-Oct-21 | 1 | 2:25 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 9–1 | Thiago Moisés | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moisés | 17-Jul-21 | 4 | 2:38 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Drew Dober | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC 259 | 06-Mar-21 | 3 | 1:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Davi Ramos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 242 | 07-Sep-19 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 6–1 | Arman Tsarukyan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Oleinik | 20-Apr-19 | 3 | 5:00 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 5–1 | Kajan Johnson | Submission (armbar) | UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 | 28-Jul-18 | 1 | 4:43 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | |
| Win | 4–1 | Gleison Tibau | KO (punch) | UFC 220 | 20-Jan-18 | 1 | 0:57 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Nik Lentz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 208 | 11-Feb-17 | 3 | 5:00 | Brooklyn, New York, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Chris Wade | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson | 17-Sep-16 | 3 | 5:00 | Hidalgo, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Adriano Martins | KO (punch) | UFC 192 | 03-Oct-15 | 1 | 1:46 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Leo Kuntz | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 187 | 23-May-15 | 2 | 2:38 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
Islam Makhachev Combat Sambo Record
Islam Makhachev, in his final showing at a Sambo match, prevailed 7-0 over his rival Valentin Benishev in 2016 winning a gold medal. He trained in Sambo since his childhood and went on to compete in it as he progressed forward with the passage of time.
Islam Makhachev Men’s Pound-for-Pound Ranking
Islam Makhachev is ranked No.1 in the men’s pound-for-pound ranking. Earlier, he trailed behind the heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and flyweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. However, got ranked No.1 after beating Volkanovski with a head-kick knockout.
Related: Islam Makhachev Next Fight
FAQs On Islam Makhache's Record
A. He has a professional MMA record of 26 wins and 1 loss.
A. He suffered the only loss in his professional career to Adriano Martins.
A. Islam Makhachev faced Leo Kuntz in his UFC debut.
A. He won the UFC lightweight title on October 22, 2022, at UFC 280.
A. No, Islam Makhachev is not Khabib Nurmagomedov's brother.
