Some already consider Islam Makhachev's path to UFC gold harder than that of his friend and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Makhachev might not have had a linear rise, jumping from Bobby Green to Charles Oliveira. Still, his title reign includes emphatic victories over the aforementioned Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski (twice), and Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.
Makhachev looks to break Nurmagomedov's lightweight title defense record at UFC 311 when he takes on Arman Tsarukyan, whom many consider one of the most significant tests for Makhachev right now. Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez, would label another fighter Makhachev's toughest fight to date.
In an interview with Submission Radio, Mendez revealed it wasn't Makhachev's brutal five-rounder with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 that was his hardest fight, but Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.
"Dustin [Poirier] was the biggest challenge," Mendez exclaimed. "Dustin brought it, man. . . . That was a Dustin I'd never seen before. . . . For me it's Dustin, I don't know about Arman because it hasn't happened yet. But at this particular juncture, it's Dustin, Dustin was the biggest challenge."
Poirier was Makhachev's only title defense in 2024, and the fight earned a fight of the night and performance of the night double-bonus.
Sentiment was low for Poirier, whom many considered undeserving of the title shot. 'The Diamond' earned his fight off the back of knocking out the surging Benoit Saint-Denis, but otherwise, he was 3-2 in his last five performances. This reflected in the bookies, who had Poirier as a +360 underdog.
It looked like a classic Makhachev performance as he took down Poirier almost immediately, but Poirier showed incredible grappling defense to survive the first round. The momentum shifted in round two when Poirier began defending takedowns. It was still very much Makhachev's fight, but Poirier wasn't going away easily.
A slick elbow from Poirier cut Makhachev's forehead open in the fourth round, marking the moment it became a dogfight. In the fifth round, Makhachev botched a single leg but turned it into an ankle pick that sent Poirier reeling. From here, the champion locked in a D'Arce Choke, forcing the tap.
If Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan is even half as good as the Poirier fight, fans are in for a treat.