If ever there were a crossroads moment in MMA history, one undercard bout on UFC 192 was it.
Daniel Cormier’s training partner Islam Makhachev, boasting a 12-0 record, made his way to the octagon expecting to continue his unbeaten run against middle of the road Adriano Martins. But less than two minutes after the first bell, he was on the canvas wondering what had just happened.
Makhachev was cornered by the future legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had also never lost at the time. But the pair’s limited striking was put on full blast as he was caught clean with a counter that saw the fight immediately called off.
Islam Makhachev vs Ariano Martins ended in brutal KO
The future lightweight champion was renowned for his wrestling coming from Dagestan. But he had just started working with Cormier under coach Javier Mendez at the American Kickboxing Academy, and had yet to fully develop his striking.
Within seconds his aggression was on full display as he went for Martins from the opening bell. The Brazilian was coming off a two-fight winning streak, although many felt he didn’t do enough to beat Rustam Khabilov in his split decision victory.
Makhachev’s corner consisted of Mendez and Khabib, as well as his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov who was still allowed into America at the time. And while they attempted to warn Makhachev to calm down, they were ultimately disappointed as he was countered with a looping right hand and knocked out.
Referee Frank Collazo quickly stepped in to stop Makhachev taking any more damage, ending his 12 fight winning run. The following April, he tested positive for a banned substance which eventually cost him a fight with Drew Dober.
After being cleared, his comeback took place place in September almost exactly a year to the day after his loss. He won by unanimous decision against Chris Wade back in Texas, where he had suffered the initial embarrassment.
Adriano Martins career went downhill after Islam Makhachev win
After winning a $50,000 bonus for his stunning knockout on a night that otherwise saw a lot of decisions, he ended up out of action for over a year. He returned at UFC 204 on October 8 of 2016 at the Manchester Arena against Leonardo Santos, losing a razor-close split decision.
Little did he know, he would never hear his name announced as a winner again. He would go on to lose to Kajan Johnson and be cut from the UFC, before losing to Alexander Shabliy on Fight Nights Global. His next fight against Adriano Rodrigues ended in a no contest after an eye poke.
Two more decision losses followed against Kaynan Kruschewsky and Carlos Silva, before he finally returned to the win column this March, almost nine years on from his knockout of Makhachev.
However, the glory of that split decision victory was taken from him as the Kongs FC fight was announced as a win for Desmae. It was later in the night corrected to a Martins victory due to a judging error, but he still hasn’t stood in the cage and been announced a winner since that night in Houston.
Islam Makhachev used defeat to inspire himself to world title glory
On the other hand, Makhachev went back to work and honed his skillset, eventually dominating Wade in his return to the octagon. From there he avenged the one close decision of Khabib’s UFC career when he knocked out Gleison Tibau in the first round at UFC 220.
He then defeated Kajan Johnson and Arman Tsarukyan and picked up five more victories on his road to the top of the division. In the meantime, his close friend Khabib became world champion and dominated the division, before retiring in 2020 without a loss.
Once he was out of the picture, it was Makhachev’s turn to rise up the ranks which he did before getting a shot against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. He dominated the Brazilian over two rounds and landed a submission victory.
Since then he has defended his belt twice against Alexander Volkanovski, the featherweight champion at the time moving up to pursue a second title. He is now firmly placed as the pound-for-pound number one in the world, and is a heavy favourite to beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 on Saturday night.
- FINAL PREDICTION: Alexander Volkanovski makes official pick for Makhachev vs Poirier