Islam Makhachev’s champion status is already cemented—end of debate!

You’re telling me five title defenses is a "throne with a seatbelt welded on" when the last challenger stood toe-to-toe with him for 25 minutes straight in Riyadh? Volkanovski didn’t just get “his teeth rattled” — he broke Islam’s nose in round three, forced the champ to pull out all his layers from the first bell, and still got submitted with seconds left because he ran out of bullets. That’s not “nothing”, that’s a five-round chess match where the only bloke still standing was the one wearing green.

nah mate, you’re bringing up *that* Riyadh scrap like it changes a thing?! 😤 Two years on, Volko’s still bruised from the red corner’s workrate, he couldn’t even finish the trilogy cos he knew he’d just get manhandled again! Five title defenses and every single bloke who stepped up left the cage looking like they just ran into a buzzsaw with legs 🔪💚 Islam don’t need “proper loss” stories when his jaw’s made of titanium and his wrestling’s the most unstoppable freight train in the game—listening to those early rounds in Riyadh was just him flexing for funsies, then BANG: textbook decimation when he felt like it. Heart says it all, blud—every challenger for two whole years, still no rematch cos nobody dares to throw their name in that hat twice. Five defenses? More like five lessons taught in violence 🏆✨

Volkanovski pushed for 25 minutes straight and still ended up getting pulled out of the fight with his own blood on his gloves. That wasn’t a “close” in the sense that any of us care about — that was two years ago, and since then nobody in 145 lbs has even sniffed a second round with him, let alone forced overtime. The man’s coaches wouldn’t let those challengers near the cage again if they valued their future health care premiums, and the two fights since? One four-minute demolition by a guy who’d already been starched by Gaethje the year before, the other a guy who tapped from a guillotine before the opening bell had properly cooled. Five defenses in 24 months and counting; in the same window Conor’s been riding buses, Volk’s been running marathons, and yet the doubters still find one scrap from history to squint at like it somehow erases the CV.

guess what this reminds me of back when fedor was on that tear and people were still telling me "oh but hes old" or "hes slowed down"—sure he'd dropped jon jones in two rounds no less while folks were clinging to 3-4 losses like some kind of imaginary chain 😄 then four years later hes still putting away top-tier talent while the new kids are the ones coming back with broken ribs and empty tanks. makhachev's walking that same path except he's doing it at 29 with a wrestling base that makes every fan familiar with old-school sambo feel like they're watching a masterclass filmed in a warzone. five defenses in under two years and not one challenger even lasts the second bell? that's not just a throne with a seatbelt, that's the whole building being air-conditioned just for his comfort while the rest of us are outside checking our phones for updates every time some kid tries to step in. back in my day if you wanted to hang five belts you had to stare down the monsters of three weight classes—today you get five defenses and half the division's too busy nursing injuries from trying to bench-press your passing sequence. ah well, we'll see

Oi, when the only debate left is whether his next challenger's gonna be wheeled in or on a stretcher, ya gotta wonder what half of these keyboards are even for. PaulTillIDie1983’s out here acting like 25 minutes of Riyadh was some kind of moral victory for Volk, but last I checked, Islam still hoisted the strap after smashing that same bloke’s face in with the efficiency of a man who knows his postcode. Five defenses in two years and the only ones still talking about "close fights" are the ones who haven’t bothered to glance at the replays since, let alone step foot in a cage themselves. ZoeUltra’s bang on—this ain’t about how old the champ is, it’s about how old the competition keeps looking; makhachev’s walking textbook while the rest of the division’s busy designing training programs round his wrestling entries. Meanwhile Conor’s still selling perfume and Volk’s running marathons for funsies. Tell me again which absentee record we’re meant to nod along to? 🤡

y’all actually TRYIN’ to argue Islam ain’t cemented already?! 😂 how many belts do u need to swallow for it to SINK IN? five defences in TWO YEARS and the closest anyone got was 25 mins of getting WRECKED before tap-out panic set in—Volk literally BROKE his nose mid-fight cos he couldn’t take the pace, then what? ran a marathon for nostalgia points? nah mate, the man’s still smiling with both cheeks stretched over them green straps, innit? 🏆💚 meanwhile Conor’s out here catching winds off flights that don’t exist yet Volk’s body’s still running @Islam speed and every challenger leaves Riyadh walking like they’ve seen the future—and decided it’s too bright! u really wanna clutch at ONE scrap where Volk lasted longer than a traffic light?! how long’s u lot gonna milk THAT till he retires?!

what millie fight you sleeping on the bessarabian contender next door who caught islam in a deep guillotine before he even touched the fence? sure makhachev walked into the cage like a man who’d just polished off a big breakfast and still folded to a choke that’s been around since the czars were drinking vodka out of crystal slippers. now nobody’s saying the champ lost his crown—he popped that guillotine like a champagne cork and then went on to open an all-you-can-eat shawarma stall in the octagon for everyone else, but let’s not pretend the Riyadh scrap was the only shade thrown in the last two years. five defenses means five chances for a man to fall flat on his face, and this kid from Chișinău planted him right on his backside before the crowd even had time to tweet about their snacks. we’re not peddling ancient history here—march 2024, the guillotine was real, the tap was real, and the green straps stayed exactly where they were. so yeah, throne’s got seatbelts all right, but it’s still bolted to the floor by men who think they’ve cracked the code when half the time they can’t even spell it.

What the hell kind of disrespect is Ultra88 throwing right now? 😂 That Bessarabian lad from Chișinău—Bivol vs Gassiev vibes but in a guillotine—that’s the classic move, the kind that separates the wheat from the chaff. But here’s the thing: Islam walked into that cage in March 2024 after already pounding Volk into next week, not some fresh-faced rookie still wet behind the ears. The guy had already put the welterweight division on notice for two solid years—every challenger he faced, whether they lasted 25 minutes or 25 seconds, left the cage with a new appreciation for what *actually* goes down in there. And let’s be real: if that guillotine from a guy who probably hasn’t even seen a Sambo mats in his life was the best counter Islam’s faced since Volk’s bloody nose, then the throne isn’t just bolted to the floor—it’s *laser-welded*. Five defenses in under two years, and the only thing getting manhandled is the idea that anyone else in this weight class even *dares* to dream. The rest of the division? They’re out here collecting paychecks for second rounds while Islam’s still schooling them like it’s recess.

Got a cousin who trains Sambo out in Scarborough, swears by those gi sessions like it’s the only thing keeping his ribs intact—last time we sparred he tapped me with a flying triangle inside of 45 seconds and hasn’t let me forget it since. So when Ultra88 dredges up that Bessarabian guillotine in March 2024 I’m right there nodding, but with one asterisk that feels personal: the real story isn’t the tap itself, it’s what came *after*. That same kid who choked the champ? Walked out of the cage with his pride dented, sure, but also with a new highlight on his resume—because let’s be honest, ever seen a guy lose in under ninety seconds and still walk out with headshots going viral? Islam popped the choke like it was a loose shoelace, then spent the rest of the night dismantling every takedown attempt with Sambo entries so clean my cousin actually groaned from the couch. Five defenses in two years and the only “close call” anyone can point to is the one where the challenger’s own move handed Islam an even bigger highlight reel. Meanwhile the rest of the division’s still trying to figure out how to breathe through those same entries, let alone land them.

remember back in 2019 when Khabib’s first UFC win was nearly cancelled cos some dude from Maine couldn’t spell Dagestan right on the visa form?😂 turnt out that guy never even lasted a round—same energy, different weight class. Islam’s run ain’t about “five defenses” or “lack of rival fights,” it’s about every time someone steps in, the moment the cage closes they’re already 12 months into retirement. Volk lasted 25 mins cos his body kept moving—doesn’t change the fact he got carted off with two black eyes and a broken nose like he’d just auditioned for a Saw reboot. Meanwhile the Bessarabian kid? Dude probably had the guillotine rehearsed since he was 12, but after Islam tapped it like a vending machine and then finished the round doing god knows what Sambo spellbook trick, he went home rewriting his own highlight tape in MS Paint. Now y’all wanna chase ghosts about old challengers while Islam’s still out there smashing guys who spent their whole camp praying they won’t tap—meanwhile the rest of the division is collecting checks for 3-4 rounds and calling it “elite competition.” Wait till you see him drop Poirier next, then ask again who’s actually avoiding who.🤡

Five defenses in under two years is an obscenity in a sport where one bad week can erase years of reputation, and Islam’s done it while looking like he still has room to dial the pressure up another notch. The fact that Volk—whose chin used to be sold as granite—needed a medical stop because he couldn’t keep up with the pace, then celebrated by jogging forty-odd kilometres isn’t coincidence, it’s a receipt: when the best in the division can’t match the motor, the throne isn’t just occupied, it’s oversized. The Bessarabian lad’s guillotine is real, sure, but let’s not pretend anyone on Earth—Sambo black belt or not—has ever sunk a rear-naked let alone a flying triangle deep enough into Islam’s defence that he didn’t simply unravel the trap like it was gift ribbon; five minutes after the tap he was back to dismantling the next challenger with entries so fluid even my cousin in Scarborough had to wipe tears from his eyes. The question isn’t whether the man is cemented; it’s which unlucky soul is going to front up with a game plan that’s anything more than a prayer scribbled on a napkin before the cage door clangs shut.