Islam Makhachev

ANALYSIS
Makhachev must now decide whether or not to get surgery, which would be the option that keeps him out of action for the rest of the calendar year. Of course, he could always attempt the "rest and recovery" route in an effort to return for his originally-targeted fight October 26 in Abu Dhabi, though it's unclear how much incentive the UFC's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter has to take any risks with his long-term health.

ANALYSIS
It looked as though Makhachev was going to have another easy victory after taking Poirier down early in Round 1, but "The Diamond" was able to stay safe and ride out the frame. It became increasingly more difficult from there, as Dustin would stuff takedowns, land jabs and do good body work in the rounds that followed. Make no mistake; however, Islam was using his boxing and grappling ability to stay ahead up until the point that he spun Dustin down to the mat by his foot and sunk in the choke. We are used to seeing the Dagestani fighter powerhouse his way through bouts, so it was good to see him face adversity and come through in the end. After the match, Makhachev discussed his intention to move up to welterweight, and while there are some interesting potential fights, the idea may be a function of weight-cutting difficulty as much as anything else. Makhachev's creativity, strength and ability to fight in all phases make him someone to watch regardless of where he fights next. He moves to 26-1 in professional MMA, having won his last 14 consecutive bouts. He'll also walk away with both $50,000 Performance of the Night and $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses.

ANALYSIS
It will be Makhachev's third defense of the UFC Lightweight Championship. In both of his earlier defenses, he prevented ex-featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski from becoming a double champion. During what the promotion named its best fight of 2023, Makhachev outlasted Volk in the latter's home country at UFC 284. In their rematch, a decisive head kick gave the defending champion his first definitive knockout win since 2018. The wins marked Makhachev's 12th and 13th consecutive UFC victories, a streak that is expected to make his current challengers underdogs by default based on steady excellence.

ANALYSIS
This result only served as further proof that it's going to take a monumental effort for any fighter to take the title off Makhachev at 155 pounds. These two fought this past February in what was a close, back-and-forth affair, but Islam made sure this battle had a more definitive ending. He crushed the exceedingly durable Volkanovski with a head kick and finished him with some follow-up strikes, which would go on to earn him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Makhachev is probably the best grappler in the sport today. It's almost unfair that a guy with such a good wrestling game is this effective on the feet as well. The next two likely opponents for Islam would appear to be either Charles Oliveira -- who was due to get the call here before he had to withdraw due to a nasty cut suffered in training -- or Justin Gaethje. Makhachev is going to be a significant favor over either. He's that good.

ANALYSIS
Makhachev's opponent change comes after Charles Oliveira split his eyebrow while sparring, forcing him to withdraw less than two weeks before the event. Makhachev has already faced Volkanovski once in his career, winning via unanimous decision at UFC 284 in February.