Former UFC lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev is one of the most dominant fighters on the UFC roster and one of the top Pound-for-Pound fighters in the UFC today.
The Russian reigned over the UFC Lightweight division for years, beating Charles Oliveira for the belt at UFC 280 to complete his ascent.
Wins over huge names like Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier cemented him as an all-time great, although Islam Makhachev eventually vacated the belt in order to jump up to Welterweight for a clash with Jack Della Maddalena.
Here’s everything you need to know about Islam Makhachev.
How old is Islam Makhachev?
Makhachev was born on 27 October 1991, in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia. As of September 2025, he is 33 years old.
Islam Makhachev’s height and weight
Makhachev stands at 5 feet 7 inches (178cm) tall and weighs 155 lbs, according to UFC.
Although he is yet to compete at welterweight (170lbs), he has hinted that he will move up in the future to try and claim another belt.
The highest weight Makhachev has ever competed at is 165lbs, and that was against Ivica Truscek back in 2014.
Islam Makhachev X/Twitter and Instagram accounts
Makhachev has an official Instagram account with over 8.6 million followers, which you can follow islam_makhachev.
He often offers a glimpse into his life outside the octagon, including his training.
Makhachev also has an official X (formerly Twitter) account with 560,000 followers. You can join them by following him MAKHACHEVMMA.
Islam Makhachev’s MMA record
| Win-Loss-Draw | (T)KO | Sub |
| 27-1-0 | 5-1 | 13-0 |
Islam Makhachev’s career stats
| Significant Strikes Landed per Minute | 2.65 |
| Significant Striking Accuracy | 60% |
| Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute | 1.54 |
| Significant Strike Defence (the % of opponents strikes that did not land) | 61% |
| Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes | 3.19 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 54% |
| Takedown Defense (the % of opponents’ TD attempts that did not land) | 91% |
| Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes | 1.06 |
Islam Makhachev’s net worth
According to Sportskeeda, Islam Makhachev has surpassed $1.5m in net worth, despite this figure likely not being 100 percent accurate.
From his UFC 294 win against Alexander Volkanovski, BetMGM estimated that the Russian earned $2.5m, but again, this figure is likely not entirely accurate.
Islam Makhachev’s next fight
Makhachev’s next fight is against Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC Welterweight title at UFC 322.
Makhachev vacated the UFC Lightweight title for a chance to make the jump to Welterweight to battle for the title, which is expected to happen later this year.
Islam Makhachev’s one loss in MMA
Throughout his 14-year MMA career, Makhachev has only suffered defeat once. That came back in 2015 when he was knocked out in the first round against Adriano Martins.
Since then, Martins has gone on to win only one other fight.
Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier
Makhachev retained his title in a brutal bout with Dustin Poirier. The competitors went all the way to the fifth round before the Russian picked up the submission victory.
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski
At UFC 294 in October 2023, Makhachev was scheduled to defend his lightweight title in a rematch against Charles Oliveira, but the Brazilian withdrew from the bout just two weeks prior.
After a razor-close first fight, Alexander Volkanovski stepped in on short notice to try and exact revenge on the Russian, despite not having had a fight camp to prepare.
Despite their first meeting being so close, Makhachev put a stamp on the rematch by scoring a sensational head kick knockout in the first round.
Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveria highlights
At UFC 280 in 2022, Makhachev finally got his chance to fight for UFC gold after a tumultuous time of trying to get fights in the rankings.
Before the fight, fans were highlighting it as an extremely intriguing matchup, as Oliveira’s strengths are on the ground, and Makhachev is a dominant wrestler.
Because of this, it was expected that this fight would be a chess match on the ground or a fun striking battle.
After a tentative first round, the Russian came into round two exuding confidence and dropped the Brazilian champion with a strike. From there, he followed ‘Do Bronx’ to the ground and submitted him, becoming the new lightweight champion.
Islam Makhachev takedowns
Islam Makhachev is most well-known for his extremely dominant style of Dagestani wrestling and that is where he holds an advantage over all of his opponents.
During his nine-year UFC tenure, the 32-year-old has accumulated a takedown percentage of 59% according to UFC Stats.
The most takedowns Makhachev has ever landed in one fight, is five, and that came against Nik Lentz in 2017.
Islam Makhachev’s relationship with Khabib
Although Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov are not related, they consider each other as family because of the strong bond they have formed throughout their lives.
Makhachev was coached by the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Makhachev and Nurmagomedov grew up together in Makhachkala, Russia, and trained together under Abdulmanap.