Islam Makhachev passed his first test as a UFC main eventer with flying colours last weekend. At UFC Vegas 31 he confidently dispatched of Thiago Moises with a fourth round submission.
Immediately after the match Makhachev called for a fight with an established name in the UFC’s lightweight division. Included in his call outs were former champion Rafael dos Anjos, former challenger Michael Chandler and long-time Team Khabib rival Tony Ferguson. Makhachev’s manager also called for a ‘dream fight’ with Conor McGregor.
Though he impressed many with his dominant performance against Moises, at least one person who was not thrilled with the bout (or comparisons between Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov.