Why some UFC fans hate Islam Makhachev

Why some UFC fans hate Islam Makhachev? Islam Makhachev is the best UFC fighter currently. The lightweight champion has so far dismantled everyone who came in front of him. The current No. 3 pound-for-pound best fighter in the world has a closer-to-perfect resume of 24 wins and 1 loss, the only loss that came in 2015 in UFC 192, a first-round knockout by Adriano Martins. Since the loss, Islam has been cruising through his opponents and is currently holding a 12-fight win streak.

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The Dominant Force of the Lightweight Division

Why some UFC fans hate Islam Makhachev — Islam submitting Charles Oliveira. Photo by UFC

Makhachev started his UFC journey at UFC 187, in which he defeated Leo Kuntz by a rear-naked choke. His dominance and similar fighting style immediately put him in comparison with his long-time training partner and mentor, the lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagamedov. Khabib was on his journey to become the UFC lightweight champion at that time. The Dagestani dominant ground game had become a topic of coffee already.

Becoming the Undisputed UFC Champion

Before Khabib Nurmagamedov hung his glove up at UFC 254 after beating interim champion Justin Gaetje, he had already proclaimed to the world that his throne would be occupied by Islam Makhachev in the near future. The world believed it as well, considering Islam’s continuous dominance in the division, similar to his predecessor Khabib. On the road to becoming the UFC champion, Islam beat prominent names like Gleison Tibau, Drew Dober, Arman Tsarukyan, and Dan Hooker in a very dominant way. Finally, he dethroned the champion, Charles Oliveira, by dropping and submitting him on the ground, cementing his invincibility.

Islam’s first title defense was against the featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who was the best pound-for-pound fighter at the time. Islam went to Volk’s home in Australia and defeated him by a unanimous decision. This should have cemented his position as the best fighter in the UFC right now. Instead, he was subjected to trolls by a group of social media fans. Many blindly tweeted that Volk had defeated him, not even considering the win was a unanimous decision. Why did that happen with Islam Makhachev? Is he the most hated champion ever? Let’s find out.

Why some UFC fans hate Islam Makhachev?

The interesting thing is that the reasons why some members of the MMA community hate Islam Makhachev have nothing to do with how he carries himself. There may be a number of reasons. We are listing some.

For Being the Prodegy of Khabib Nurmagamedov

Khabib Nurmagamedov is one of the greatest fighters the world has ever seen. He is the most dominant fighter of all time. He hardly lost a round in his perfect record of 29-0. Being so good, the MMA community wanted him to lose in all fights until he retired. The pre-fight discussions were more like ‘he is the guy to beat Khabib’ before every fight. Why is that hate, though?

Khabib has the sport’s most famous feud with the most famous star, Conor McGregor. After humiliating Conor McGregor in their fight, a lot of Conor fans turned against him. Islam Makhachev, being a close friend of Khabib, makes him the next target of the community, as Khabib has already retired from MMA.

The Hate on Dagestanis

The Dagestani hatred has been a secret, obvious thing among Western MMA fans. The traditional Muslim beliefs, coupled with the aura of invincibility, might be the reason for that.

Crushing the Fan Favourite Fighters

Charles Oliveira was the people’s favorite champion. Makhachev not only defeated him but dominated him in all aspects of the sport before knocking him down and submitting, making him look like an amateur. Beatin Alexander Volkanovski in Perth was another win that made some of the Western MMA fans go crazy.

Is Islam Makhachev the Most-Hated UFC Champion Ever?