Islam Makhachev remains the lightweight king. The UFC champion defended his title at UFC 316 on Saturday night with a fifth-round rear naked choke submission of Arman Tsarukyan in Abu Dhabi, extending his UFC winning streak to 15 fights and his title reign into a fifth defense.
The fight was competitive through four rounds. Tsarukyan won the second round with a series of leg kicks and clean straight punches, and the judges had the fight scored 3-1 in favor of Makhachev entering the fifth. But Makhachev’s grappling proved once again to be too much.
The finish came 3:47 into the fifth round. Makhachev secured a body lock on the fence, dragged Tsarukyan to the canvas, and quickly transitioned to the back. Tsarukyan defended for nearly two minutes before Makhachev locked in the choke. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight when Tsarukyan went unconscious.
This was the rematch that a lot of MMA fans had been asking for. Tsarukyan gave Makhachev his most competitive fight in his 2018 debut, and the two had been on a collision course ever since. Saturday delivered on every expectation and then some.
Makhachev’s grappling remains the most dominant tool in the lightweight division. His transitions are seamless, his top control is suffocating, and his ability to chain submission attempts together is second to none. Only Khabib Nurmagomedov, his mentor and cousin, has ever shown similar dominance at 155 pounds.
The post-fight question is what comes next. Justin Gaethje is coming off a knockout loss and needs a win to get back into title contention. Charles Oliveira has been asking for a rematch. And undefeated contender Mateusz Gamrot has a solid case with three straight wins over ranked opponents.
Makhachev could also move up to welterweight. The champion has been open about wanting to become a two-division champion, and current welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has said he would welcome the challenge. That fight would be one of the biggest MMA events of 2027.
UFC 316 was a strong overall card. The co-main event saw former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley bounce back from his loss to Merab Dvalishvili with a second-round knockout of Umar Nurmagomedov. And in the featured undercard bout, women’s flyweight Valentina Shevchenko finished her opponent in the first round.
The UFC returns to action in three weeks with UFC 317 in Las Vegas, headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Dricus du Plessis and challenger Nassourdine Imavov. It is another loaded card in what has become one of the strongest years for UFC pay-per-view in a long time.
Makhachev leaves Abu Dhabi with his title and his reputation intact. He is not just the lightweight champion. He might be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
