Islam Makhachev sees the UFC’s focus on entertainment over athletic meritocracy informing who they keep on their roster and is openly discussing the matter. It is certainly a curious time for combatants who utilize a more grappling-centric methodology. With several notable cuts materializing with fighters who authored winning UFC records but not in an exciting way [ex: Rinat Fakhretdinov or Martin Buday], it’s not enough to simply go on lengthy winning streaks inside the octagon if the fights aren’t fireworks every time.
While more of a striking element has emerged in the post-Khabib Nurmagomedov blue-print as evidenced by the likes of Usman Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, that style of dominant top control with minimal positional advancement has still seemingly been demonstrably getting punished by the promotional brass with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In an interview via Ushatayka, with an excerpt posted to X account @acdmma_, Makhachev said,
“I already tell the guys, you’ve got to go out there and scrap. Those Dagestani fighters that just show up, dominate everyone, don’t speak English, don’t sell the fight, don’t hype anything u