Islam Makhachev has been raking in the accolades of late, and after winning the lightweight championship and potentially stealing the #1 pound-for-pound spot in his next outing, he has now been gifted the ‘Submission of the Year’ award.
The Dagestani has had a meteoric rise to the top of the sport since his life-long friend and training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov retired. Despite some fans considering his run to the title shot to be less than deserving, his performance to capture UFC gold was nothing short of sensational.
After receiving the official ‘Submission of the Year’ award from the UFC, Islam Makhachev insisted that he deserved to be recognized for his accomplishment of submitting one of the most dangerous grapplers in the sport, saying:
“Submission of the Year. When I caught him [Charles Oliveira] and I closed my arms and I think he’s gonna tap. I finished the most dangerous guy on the ground and I know my skills and that’s why I told all the media, all the people that I’m gonna choke him. I know I deserve [the award], thank you.”
Heading into the bout, many believed ‘Do Bronx’ was unbeatable given his prior 11-fight undefeated run in the cage, as the clearly evolved fighter finished Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje heading into UFC 280.
The South American’s reign came to an abrupt end when the Russian outclassed him on the night, knocking him down with his much-improved striking and subsequently locking in an arm-triangle choke.
Check out what Islam Makhachev had to say after being honored with the ‘Submission of the Year’ award in the video below.
Islam Makhachev’s rise to UFC stardom
Ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov’s rise to fame, Islam Makhachev has been a notable name in the lightweight division and has rightfully been receiving his flowers in recent times.
Despite suffering an early setback in his UFC career, losing via knockout in his second bout with the promotion, the 31-year-old has gone on a tear throughout the weight class and has looked almost unstoppable.
With huge wins over Arman Tsarukyan, Drew Dober, Dan Hooker and Charles Oliveira, the lightweight king Makhachev now has the chance to be named the pound-for-pound best fighter in the sport if he manages to beat Alexander Volkanovski next time out.