Makhachev May Need Hand Surgery After His UFC 302 Win
Islam Makhachev may have to undergo surgery on his hand following his win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.
The UFC Lightweight Champion secured a fifth-round submission win to retain his title. Islam showed a varied game, even finding success with his striking, on his way to a successful third defense. The attention then turned towards his next steps. Poirier wanted a rematch, although that is unlikely. Islam has also entertained the idea of moving up to welterweight to grab a belt in another weight class.
Makhachev’s Next Steps
He is open to the idea of facing Leon Edwards. Edwards held the welterweight title and was making a third defense of it against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304. Edwards felt short, losing a unanimous decision. While Islam could still target the welterweight strap, an Edwards fight may serve as a good example for the weight class.
“I welcome it. I feel like we both have work to do within our [divisions]. … He just fought his first lightweight, actual lightweight — first defense against an actual lightweight — so I feel like he has a few more lightweights to go through first before he can think about moving up. But if we both go on this [long] reign, then why not? We can run it in the future,” Edwards revealed
The leading candidate for his next fight is Arman Tsarukyan, the number-one contender in the lightweight division. However, Tsarukyan has been suspended for nine months after punching a fan at UFC 300, which has cast doubt on where Islam goes next. Makhachev was mentioned as a possible name at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26. While he hopes to fight again this year, his hand injury may suggest otherwise.
Makhachev’s Injury
“After the fight (with Poirier), my fists hurt, a lot of things hurt. We’ll take time. Everything is healing little by little. But my hand continues to bother me. An MRI recently confirmed that I have a partial ligament tear. Let’s see if I can recover. If not, I might even have to have surgery. It is questionable (if I will fight at UFC 308). We haven’t talked about the fight yet. I am doing rehabilitation every day now. And we’ll see how the hand goes,” Islam said
Islam is at the peak of his career. His decision to have Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner is proving very successful. The champion has already beaten Tsarukyan, knowing he has what it takes to face the best. Since the Islam loss, Tsarukyan has won nine of his next ten fights. This has included a win over former UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira in his last fight. That has set up the narrative for a mega clash. But Islam is focused on fully healing before he decides where he goes next.
“I really want to perform before the end of the year. I plan to. So far, I haven’t even thought about not performing. I want to come in shape, prepared, so that nothing bothers me. Before the last fight, there were also a lot of minor injuries. Everyone somehow accumulated. I want to give my body time to recover,” Makhachev added
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