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Michael Bisping, former UFC middleweight champion and current commentator and analyst, spoke out about Arman Tsarukyan refusing to fight Islam Makhachev on June 1.
"If someone says bad things to you, just ignore them all. Because you have earned the right to fight for the belt. It's not a case where you were given an opportunity and you're like, "Oh, you gotta take it!" No! You earned it. You're a title contender. You beat Dariush, you beat Oliveira, you gave Makhachev a tough fight. You have great skills. I absolutely agree with you - it's a huge opportunity. So you need to have a full training camp," Bisping said on the Believe You Me podcast.
Ali Abdel-Aziz, manager of UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, described how the organization's CEO Dana White helped him during his illness.
"Honestly, if we talk about Dana White's personality - he is a noble, wonderful person. For example, if he knew you had a sick child, he would definitely call, find you a doctor, send you medicine. When I had covid, I was literally dying. I was transferred to another hospital. That's when Dana called. And for three weeks, he made sure I was taken care of. They gave me a deluxe room. I was treated like I was the president of the United States. Dana is a cool man," Abdel-Aziz told Show Me The Money.
UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush has spoken out about a possible rematch between the promotion's featherweight champion Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan. Beneil believes that this fight makes the most sense right now.
"This fight makes the most sense right now. This fight needs to be made. I know it's not the next fight for Islam. But Arman has obviously become the number one contender. I think it's going to be a tough fight for Makhachev. I still consider Islam the favorite. I don't know how interesting this fight is to the public, but it should definitely be held," said Dariush in an interview with Helen Yee Sports.
It should be reminded that in the first fight Islam Makhachev won by unanimous decision of judges against Arman Tsarukyan.
The manager of UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev revealed who the fighter will face in the octagon after his fight against Dustin Puryear.
"Islam will defend in the fight against Porier, and then we will have a fight with Arman (Tsarukyan). We have to admit, he deserves this fight, he got out to the top of the rankings and beat all the opponents. For now we have these two fights on the horizon, and then we'll see. A fight with Tsarukyan this year? Yes, it could be in Abu Dhabi or New York," said the functionary.
Recall that the fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Porier will be held on June 1 in the framework of UFC 302.
UFC American lightweight Beneil Dariush has listed three of the promotion's champions who could win another title in the not-too-distant future.
Islam Makhachev's record currently stands at 22 wins, 1 lose and 0 draw.
Islam Makhachev's last fight took place against Alexander Volkanovski on Oct. 21, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He won by TKO in the 1 round. That fight was 6 months and 6 days ago.
Makhachev's last 3 fights have come over a period of 11 months and 29 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 3 months and 29 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 8 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 2 rounds on average.
Makhachev was born in Russia.
The Islam Makhachev is currently 32 years old. He was born on Sept. 27, 1991, so he will turn 33 in 5 months and 0 day.
Islam Makhachev made his professional debut in August 2010, so he has been a pro for 13 years.
Makhachev is 5' 10" (5 Foot and 10 inch) which is 178 cm (1 meter and 78 centimeters).
Makhachev fights from a orthodox, which means he favours his right hand as his power hand when fighting.
