Sherdog’s 2023 Fighter of the Year

Even as he walks in the considerable shadow of longtime friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev has positioned himself as a potentially historic figure in mixed martial arts.

Makhachev—who beat out Sean Strickland, Alex Pereira and Leon Edwards for Sherdog’s “Fighter of the Year” honors—made only two appearances as the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder in 2023, but both were of the legacy-forging variety. He twice defeated featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, denying the Australian’s bid to become a simultaneous two-division champion.

When Makhachev exited the stage in October following his second victory over “Alexander The Great” in a matter of months, all the MMA world could do was stand and salute.

“I just showed I’m not just a wrestler, grappler or striker,” he said at the post-fight press conference. “I know I’m the best MMA fighter in the world.”

Makhachev struck the definitive blow in his rivalry with Volkanovski and closed the book on his latest campaign when he wrecked the City Kickboxing star with a head kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their UFC 294 main event on Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A short-notice substitution for Charles Oliveira, Volkanovski met his end 3:06 into Round 1.

The stoic Makhachev probed with kicks to all levels, jockeyed for position in the clinch after his first takedown attempt was denied and drifted out into open space. He then fired the head kick above Volkanovski’s guard. Shin met skull—somewhere Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic took a bow—with devastating consequences, as the Aussie stumbled backward in a compromised state. Makhachev offered no reprieve, letting go with punches and hammerfists until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.

The 32-year-old Makhachev, now 25-1 overall and 14-1 in the UFC, has won 13 fights in a row and holds a 2-0 advantage in his head-to-head series with Volkanovski. He will enter 2024 looking to become just the fifth man—Nurmagomedov, B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson comprise the current list—to successfully defend the lightweight crown three times.

“He keeps doing what he’s doing, you’ve just got to keep grinding, knocking them down one by one and it will eventually happen,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “The truth is when you look at Khabib—and nothing against Khabib, Khabib came in and won the title and defended it—but this kid could go on a defense run that absolutely blows everybody away that ever held the belt in that division.”

While Makhachev’s first encounter with Volkanovski was not nearly as conclusive, it was no less important in terms of significance. The American Kickboxing Academy ace waltzed into enemy territory and retained his lightweight crown with a hard-earned unanimous decision over Volkanovski in the five-round UFC 284 headliner on Feb. 11 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it for Makhachev: 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

It was a tactical struggle from start to finish. Makhachev countered effectively with both hands throughout the 25-minute affair and executed multiple takedowns, advancing to the back and threatening the neck on more than one occasion. He did his best work in Round 4, where he ducked into a takedown, progressed to the back when Volkanovski tried to escape and secured his position with a tight body triangle. Makhachev bottled up the outwardly frustrated Australian for more than three minutes, much to the chagrin of the raucous crowd. An undeterred Volkanovski made his move late in the fifth round after being cut by a close-range knee strike. He drove Makhachev to all fours with a thudding right hand to the side of the head and forced his retreat to full guard. From there, Volkanovski cut loose with punches to the body and head with increasing intensity, his fellow Aussies roaring their approval. Alas, the finish he needed did not materialize.

The setback was Volkanovski’s first since May 10, 2013 and snapped his remarkable 22-fight winning streak. He disputed the verdict upon further review.

“Just watched the fight, I definitely think I won [Rounds] 2, 3 and 5,” he wrote on Twitter afterward. “Surprised I didn’t get my hand raised! Let’s do the rematch, anywhere, anytime.”

Volkanovski defeated Yair Rodriguez to retain his featherweight title in July, then got his wish when Oliveira stepped aside due to injury. Whatever doubts that remained about Makhachev were erased with his flawless performance at UFC 294.

“It was a big step in the right direction,” White said. “The guy’s been dominant and then he goes in, all the controversy that came off the last fight, and he finishes this fight the way that he did. There’s no excuses. It’s not like, ‘Oh, it went into the third round, Volkanovski didn’t have time to train.’ He went in there and viciously, impressively finished this fight with a Cro Cop-esque kick to the head. It doesn’t get any better than that against a very tough, durable guy who has a great chin. You don’t ever see anybody do that to Volkanovski.”