Islam Makhachev | Same Talent, New Energy

By most objective measures, Islam Makhachev is the greatest lightweight in UFC history, having amassed the most title fight victories (five), consecutive successful title defenses (four), and consecutive wins (14) of anyone to ever grace the 155-pound division. That’s one more title fight win and successful title defense than his teammate-turned-coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, who passed the torch to Makhachev following the passing of his father and his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

Now here’s the crazy part: the 34-year-old standout from Dagestan may have done all of that while not competing at full strength, which is why this summer, after two-and-a-half years atop the division, Makhachev…