If there is one obstacle to Islam
Makhachev’s rise through the UFC’s lightweight division, it’s
that his style is not as fan friendly as some of the other top
contenders.
It was something of a slow burn on Saturday night, as Makhachev
gradually imposed his will on Thiago
Moises before submitting his opponent with a rear-naked choke
at the 2:38 mark of Round 4 in the UFC on ESPN 26 headliner. It
wasn’t a performance that was able to keep Dan Hooker’s
interest.
“I kind of was watching and on fast forward,” Hooker said in an
interview with Submission Radio “I got bored. So, I can’t
really… like, yeah. It kind of is what it is.”
Makhachev is currently on an eight-bout winning streak at 155
pounds and has been anointed by teammate Khabib
Nurmagomedov as a future lightweight champion. The Dagestani
has gradually improved the level of competition in the Octagon
since his 2015 debut, with recent submissions of Moises and
Drew
Dober potentially setting the stage for a high-profile matchup
in his next UFC appearance.
The current narrative is that Makhachev is struggling to find
higher-ranked opponents due to his ranking and his fighting style.
However, Hooker dismisses that notion and believes that Makhachev
should follow a different path than Nurmagomedov, the retired
former lightweight champion.
“You see scrolling past and seeing on like build-up videos of him
saying everyone’s scared, everyone’s scared to fight him, oh, the
whole division’s shook,” Hooker said. “Bro, you’re just copying
your mate’s homework. Give your mate’s homework back and come up
with something for yourself, son.
“He’s on a good streak at the moment, but I believe he’s been
knocked out in the UFC before. So then him copying Khabib’s
homework and saying all this wild stuff when you’ve been laid flat
in the Octagon, it doesn’t really have the same ring to it as an
undefeated fighter.”
Makhachev did suffer a first-round TKO loss to Adriano
Martins in his second UFC appearance in October 2015, but he
hasn’t lost a fight since then. Prior to Hooker facing Paul Felder
in the main event at UFC Fight Night 168 in February 2020, “The
Hangman” began trading barbs with Makhachev. However, Hooker
doesn’t believe a matchup with Makhachev would’ve provided the
entertainment value that his “Fight of the Night”-winning clash
with Felder did.
“Coming into the main event of UFC Auckland, I knew Felder was
going to be the fight, and then Islam starts chiming in,” Hooker
said. “So, I started having a bit of banter with him, saying that I
would have to give away tickets to the event in the car park of
Pak-n-Save if I got booked with Islam Makhachev. So, I can’t say I
regret not going out of my way to fight Islam, to put on a
five-round war in my home town with Paul Felder.
And if it would’ve been anything like he performed in his main
event [at UFC on ESPN 26], that’s not the style of fight that the
Kiwi fans want to see. They want to see two blokes go out there and
really challenge themselves and see who’s better. Like I said, I
kind of got bored watching his main event in fast forward. So, I
couldn’t imagine watching the damn thing live in my hometown. I
think there would have been a bloody riot after the fight.”