Islam Makhachev is one of the most intriguing names in the UFC today, as he’s gone undefeated for years now. He will look to continue this run of success this weekend when he takes on the upset-seeking Thiago Moises. Check out our preview of this main event fight this Saturday.
Makhachev is on a roll. He has not lost a fight since 2015. That’s a seven-fight win streak. He’s also just lost once in eight fights since becoming part of the UFC in 2015. Makhachev did not see action in 2020 because of the global pandemic plus he also dealt with a staph infection. He showed that he’s way past that illness when he scored a third-round submission victory against Drew Dober just last March. Makhachev likes to fight on the mat, as he has eight wins via submissions and he’s also yet to be submitted so far in his career. His lone loss was a knockout at the hands of Adriano Martins in his second UFC fight. Moises has not lost via knockouts or submissions up to this day. But Makhachev could be the most skilled grappler that he’ll ever face. Makhachev is averaging 3.46 takedowns per 15 minutes and a 68 percent takedown accuracy. He’s also difficult to bring to the ground, as he’s avoided takedown attempts from opponents 93 percent of the time in previous UFC fights.
Like Makhachev, Moises will come into Saturday’s fight riding a wave of momentum, thanks to his three-fight win streak. The last time he was inside the Octagon, Moises scored a unanimous decision over Alexander Hernandez in February 2021. That fight played out differently than what’s expected to happen in this upcoming weekend showdown between Moises and Makhachev. Against Hernandez, Moises received nor made a takedown/submission attempt. The recent narrative for Moises is that his fights usually come down to the judges’ scorecards. In fact, five of his last six fights went the distance. He’s got six wins via submissions, though, and three through knockouts. He scored a sensational head kick KO win over Gleidson Cutis in the Dana White’s Contender Series: Brazil 3 back in 2018. Before coming over to the UFC, Moises competed in the RFA where he was a champion and defended his belt successfully twice.
