Islam Makhachev Reveals New Date for His UFC Comeback Post Surgery: ‘I Have a Small Injury’

Islam Makhachev shares the new date for his UFC comeback after undergoing surgery for a minor injury, assuring fans he's ready to return to the octagon soon.

Published on Sep 18, 2024  |  04:01 PM IST |  180.9K
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Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev has announced his return date to the UFC. The lightweight champion was expected to face Arman Tsarukyan next in October 2024. However, Makhachev recently announced that he was injured and would need surgery on his hand to get back to normal. The champion stated that such an update put some serious question marks on the fruition of the title fight with Tsarukyan. But with his latest announcement, it looks like the lightweight title fight is very much on at the moment. 

According to reports from Ushatayka, Islam Makhachev might be available to come back to the UFC within the end of 2024. The Dagestani fighter stated, “I have a small injury now, but I'm already finishing my treatment. I'll be ready around the end of the year, January, beginning of the year.” Such a statement will surely resolve the complications at the head of the lightweight table. 


Following the news of Makhachev’s injury, Tsarukyan proposed several plans for his future going forward. ‘Ahalkalakets’ stated that fighting Makhachev was not important for him as long as he got his desired shot at the title. The number 1 lightweight contender also dropped a few names who could fight him for a potential interim title shot. Tsarukyan named the top 5 ranked lightweight fighters, namely, Dan Hooker, Michael Chandler, Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier. 

As a matter of fact, Tsarukyan received an offer from the UFC to fight Makhachev for the title earlier. However, coming off a gruelling matchup against Charles Oliveira in UFC 300, Tsarukyan rejected the offer. He and his team wanted to take more time and have a full fight camp for the championship bout. 

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Well, speaking about the challenger, the Armenian fighter has lost just 2 fights so far. Beating the likes of Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira back to back, Tsarukyan has established himself as one of the dominant lightweight fighters. A glance at his latest venture at UFC 300: Tsarukyan almost got submitted via chokehold in the early stages of his fight. However, putting up a resilient show, ‘Ahalkalakets’ turned the tables and emerged victorious. 

On the other hand, Islam Makhachev has been the king of the lightweight division so far. He has suffered only a solitary loss in the UFC and is on a 14-fight-winning streak. Having beaten the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Dan Hooker, Dustin Poirier and more prominent UFC fighters, the upcoming lightweight title bout is likely to be a banger. 

ALSO READ: Islam Makhachev Dismisses Merab Dvalishvili’s ‘Non-Russian’ Claims Towards Umar Nurmagomedov

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About The Author

Debmallya Chakraborty, a senior journalist at PinkVilla, has been deeply involved in UFC since 2015, transitioning from an observer

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