Islam Makhachev's hypocrisy

As much as I would love for this fight to happen next I totally get Islam.
If Topuria destroys a guy like Oliveira for example prior to challenging for the belt then it makes more sense for Islam to take it. Because it's as he says, if he beats Topuria people are going to discredit his win saying Topuria was small etc.

I'm fine with both scenarios, Toppy fighting for the belt right away of having to win one prior.
 
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islam has had his share of pullouts as well.

but he still got his title shot
He never pulled out of a title fight and has never pulled out the day of weigh ins. Plus since getting the belt he’s showed up and done his job every time even when he’s been asked to fight someone on basically no notice.

Really not sure what your point is here, Arman got his title shot and in the end he screwed himself but yet somehow it’s Islam that receives the criticism for it.
 
He never pulled out of a title fight and has never pulled out the day of weigh ins. Plus since getting the belt he’s showed up and done his job every time even when he’s been asked to fight someone on basically no notice.

Really not sure what your point is here, Arman got his title shot and in the end he screwed himself but yet somehow it’s Islam that receives the criticism for it.
yes you are correct. and since he has become champ, i have become a fan.

dont get me wrong, he is one of the very best at 155. no doubt about it.

but islam still has no current plans to defend against number 1 or even the number 2 ranked contenders.

( and yes i know they both had opportunities and blew it, but are both healthy now and looking for a fight)

he would rather move to a different weight class and fight the champ, unless its belal of course.

all these guys looking for legacy fights, but not interested in defending against the top contenders.

if it looks like a cherry picker and acts like a cherry picker. its probably a cherry picker.
 
Topuria didn't handle it right, knowing how Islam and Khabib are. But Topuria's ego is bigger than him and thought by insulting them he would get his way and knowing that Islam doesn't need him but the other way around. not smart of topuria,
 
yes you are correct. and since he has become champ, i have become a fan.

dont get me wrong, he is one of the very best at 155. no doubt about it.

but islam still has no current plans to defend against number 1 or even the number 2 ranked contenders.

( and yes i know they both had opportunities and blew it, but are both healthy now and looking for a fight)

he would rather move to a different weight class and fight the champ, unless its belal of course.

all these guys looking for legacy fights, but not interested in defending against the top contenders.

if it looks like a cherry picker and acts like a cherry picker. its probably a cherry picker.
He tried to fight the #1 contender, the guy pulled out and is being punished for it. He’s beat the guy ranked #2 already and tried to give him a rematch as well.. and just like Arman he pulled out.

Islam has been criticized so heavily for fighting FW’s (to the point where some people coined Charles, Dustin and Moicano as nothing but FW’s) but now that there’s talk of him going up in weight he’s cherry picking easier fights? Does he only fight FW’s or is he scared of them? You guys gotta make up your mind.
 
Half of Islam's opponents don't even show up to fight him, if Islam's a coward then everyone else is a chihuahua
As crazy as it sounds to say "half his opponents", that's actually understating it. Only 2 of his last 7 fights were against the guy he was supposed to fight. Hooker replaced RDA, Green replaced Dariush, Volk rematch replaced Charles rematch, Poirier got it because Arman turned it down, and Moicano got it because Arman pulled out the day before.

And that's not even counting guys who turned down fighting him for years when they knew he was the best LW and just tried to freeze him out by saying he needs to beat a top 5 before any top 5 will fight him, which is why he had to go on a 10 fight win streak before getting a title shot. For reference, Topuria got a title after only 5 fights at FW, and only has 8 fights in the UFC right now and is about to get a shot at a 2nd belt.

The funniest one was Chandler. The other guys just turned it down and didn't say much about it, but Chandler went out of his way to say Islam doesn't deserve to fight him, Hooker was a great win for himself but a shit win for Islam, then after Islam won the title, pretended he'd been trying to fight Islam for 8 years.


 
As crazy as it sounds to say "half his opponents", that's actually understating it. Only 2 of his last 7 fights were against the guy he was supposed to fight. Hooker replaced RDA, Green replaced Dariush, Volk rematch replaced Charles rematch, Poirier got it because Arman turned it down, and Moicano got it because Arman pulled out the day before.

And that's not even counting guys who turned down fighting him for years when they knew he was the best LW and just tried to freeze him out by saying he needs to beat a top 5 before any top 5 will fight him, which is why he had to go on a 10 fight win streak before getting a title shot. For reference, Topuria got a title after only 5 fights at FW, and only has 8 fights in the UFC right now and is about to get a shot at a 2nd belt.

The funniest one was Chandler. The other guys just turned it down and didn't say much about it, but Chandler went out of his way to say Islam doesn't deserve to fight him, Hooker was a great win for himself but a shit win for Islam, then after Islam won the title, pretended he'd been trying to fight Islam for 8 years.



Fuck Chandler, tbh.
 
Do we even know what Islam's plan is? I keep hearing rumors that he might fight Gaethje, or go up to welterweight?

Either way, I think it would be hilarious if he agreed to fight Gaethje @ UFC 317, because the UFC are desperate to fill that main event. It gives him leverage to force them to sideline Topuria.

I personally think Topuria should fight Oliveira in a #1 contender bout. Earn it.
 
That's like your third thread about this.
Let it go mate.

Or call Islam directly because complaining in here constantly isn't changing the result of things.
 
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He never pulled out of a title fight and has never pulled out the day of weigh ins. Plus since getting the belt he’s showed up and done his job every time even when he’s been asked to fight someone on basically no notice.

Really not sure what your point is here, Arman got his title shot and in the end he screwed himself but yet somehow it’s Islam that receives the criticism for it.
I'm not really disagreeing with you, I think Islam has been fine as a champ, even though I do really want to see him fight Ilia

But he also isn't taking some big risks or anything either, saying he has taken fights on basically no notice as if he's the one at a disadvantage when he has had a full camp and is fighting someone coming off the couch is a bit disingenuous
 
As much as I would love for this fight to happen next I totally get Islam.
If Topuria destroys a guy like Oliveira for example prior to challenging for the belt then it makes more sense for Islam to take it. Because it's as he says, if he beats Topuria people are going to discredit his win saying Topuria was small etc.

I'm fine with both scenarios, Toppy fighting for the belt right away of having to win one prior.
I'm fine with this as well, the fight will be even more interesting if Ilia beats a top LW

That being said there's a good chance Islam is waiting on the result of Belal vs JDM, if JDM wins, and Islam fights him for the WW belt next, that would be the worst case scenario IMO... a scenario where Islam leaves LW and all of these interesting matchups and then goes to WW to fight someone who hasn't actually proven they're the best guy
 
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Islam has already beaten Charles and Armen.
Charles win was great but Armen was years ago. Both have earned their way back to another shot.
Islam is going to struggle resume wise if he doesn't win against someone like that again before going up.

His title defences are Volk x2, Poirer and Moicano. Great wins, but we have literally had a log jam at 155 waiting for these fights to happen for most of his reign. It;s on the UFC though, atleast they could have given him the back up fighter in Gamrot, instead of burning the Volk rematch on a no promotion short notice fight.
 
I'm not really disagreeing with you, I think Islam has been fine as a champ, even though I do really want to see him fight Ilia

But he also isn't taking some big risks or anything either, saying he has taken fights on basically no notice as if he's the one at a disadvantage when he has had a full camp and is fighting someone coming off the couch is a bit disingenuous
I mean yeah, he isn't coming off the couch and putting his belt on the line on days notice or anything you're right about that but I'd say he was taking about as much risk as you can in the situations he was put in with Charles and Arman pulling out. Although in hindsight I wonder if Dariush would have put up a better fight than Moicano.
 
Do we even know what Islam's plan is? I keep hearing rumors that he might fight Gaethje, or go up to welterweight?

Either way, I think it would be hilarious if he agreed to fight Gaethje @ UFC 317, because the UFC are desperate to fill that main event. It gives him leverage to force them to sideline Topuria.

I personally think Topuria should fight Oliveira in a #1 contender bout. Earn it.
I think he's waiting to see who the WW champ is to see if he's moving up. I don't think he and Belal would fight each other, so he's only going up if JDM wins. If Belal wins, he'll just stay at LW and defend again.

Imo being "Muslim brothers" and occasionally training together but not even on the same team is a stupid reason for the #1 p4p to screw over his own career at 34 and stay in a division with no more interesting fights, but that's where we are and there really isn't anybody at LW he'd get much credit for beating.

It would obviously be better for Ilia/Arman or Ilia/Charles to fight and Topuria to win so he fights Islam as a legit ranked contender, but the LW contenders are all a bunch of entitled babies trying to sit out for long periods hoping to get a shot from lucky timing rather than earning it.
 
Islam Makhachev has shown he is not nearly the bravest guy in the room. He is denying Topuria, who is an undefeated young talent, who btw KO'd Volkanovski inside two round, whom Islam had problems doing vs a prepared Volk, it was his toughest fight. The shirt notice fight kinda helped him to set the narrative, yeah. He then called the BMF title that Gaethje had a title for bums, who can't get the real belt. Still, Max Holloway got an awakening of his true potential and had one of his most impressive performances vs Gaethje, someone ranked high in 155. Holloway is > Gaethje and has the BMF title.

Topuria fought a Holloway that was the prime Holloway that beat Gaethje and KO'd him in the third round... Without fulling commiting to showing his wrestling. Islam wants to fight Justin Gaethje, all while he thinks Topuria "adds nothing". I mean, I don't know what he thinks fighting Gaethje is more proof if he is thinking of legacy when Topuria KO'd the guy who dominated Gaethje and KO'd him brutally... And is arguably the BMF champion. But defending vs Gaethje seems ok?

That's the first time Islam (Khabib was not either) is faced with a real, well rounded talent, that is also young. Islam is what, 32? And having 4th title defenses, he even mentioned he could fight DDP (lol wut...) if Dana called him for that fight (at least he admitted Poatan was out of his reach and that vs Pereira, he had no chances, DDP for him was within his reach tho...), but a way easier opponent than DDP (come on... Size matters...) but which threatens his dominance in the division heavily as it's also an up and comer very talented guy... "Nah, he's not ranked here, even though I know he's likely the easily top 3 here and so does everyone, I don't want to fight the smaller younger guy"...

... He then writes that Ankalaev should fight Poatan, writing "stop running", while Poatan had asked for that right after UFC 300, but the UFC likely saw Poatan and Ankalaev as the best ones and tied up for a potential huge match up. Poatan didn't shy once from accepting two fights on short notice, one vs Khalil who he could say "was smaller than him"... Could go up but decided Ankalaev needed a chance to the title... Also talks about JJ and Aspinall when JJ defended the LHW championship literally by a 10 plus title defenses and was open to younger, new generation talents who weren't well known but were very good even after the 4th defense. In his 5th title fight JJ also accepted a short notice fight with a "smaller man" Vitor Belfort who was on some crazy TRT

Poatan didn't care if DDP were from a division below, he opened up the opportunity for a fight vs both DDP and Chimaev... Elite competitors who are smaller (DDP is basically same weight btw). That's why he is the current best paid guy, because he is the bravest in the room. He doesn't care who he's fighting. Islam is just nowhere near a JJ to fear someone to the point even a DDP fight was mentioned when he is 32, has had way less mileage in the UFC than JJ, etc...

Islam should be below JJ, Topuria, Poatan and Ankalaev in pfp. #1 pfp BS thing. At the end, not even those Dagestani guys there are as brave as Poatan... Who was btw likely one of the most impressive champions (and imo, he'll get his title back, yeah Poatan will get the belt back imo, I think his next performance will be dominantly vs Ankalaev).

Islam is afraid of not being a Dagestan champion so he will end up being stripped

Who did ilia beat in 155 to deserve a TS? no one
earn the right to the fight first. Islam doesn't another useless 145 guy
 
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