{"id":12449,"date":"2025-01-15T12:16:44","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T11:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=12449"},"modified":"2025-01-15T12:16:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T11:16:44","slug":"islam-makhachev-reveals-his-dream-fight-and-it-is-against-the-boogeyman-of-the-lw-division","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/islam-makhachev-reveals-his-dream-fight-and-it-is-against-the-boogeyman-of-the-lw-division\/","title":{"rendered":"Islam Makhachev Reveals His Dream Fight, And It Is Against The Boogeyman Of The LW Division"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Some of the most intriguing stories aren&rsquo;t about the fights that happened but the ones that never made it to the octagon. The saga of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson stands as perhaps the most legendary &ldquo;What If&rdquo; in <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/mma\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>UFC<\/a> history. These two titans of the lightweight division were scheduled to face each other five times, with each attempt falling through due to injuries, weight-cutting issues, and even a global pandemic.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Now, in an interesting twist, Khabib Nurmagomedov&rsquo;s successor and current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has made a statement. He revealed that Ferguson, in his prime, would have been his dream opponent.<\/p><p><strong>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-lightweight-champ-islam-makhachev-opens-up-on-the-nate-diaz-altercation-backstage\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>UFC Lightweight Champ Islam Makhachev Opens Up On The Nate Diaz Altercation Backstage<\/a><\/strong><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Did Islam Makhachev Say About Tony Ferguson?<\/h2><p>Islam Makhachev recently opened up about his admiration for Tony Ferguson during the latter&rsquo;s peak. This was the time when &lsquo;El Cucuy&rsquo; was on a spectacular 12-fight winning streak that had the entire division shaking in their boots. This was the era when Ferguson was earning his nickname &ldquo;The Boogeyman&rdquo; &ndash; breaking opponents mentally before physically dismantling them in the cage.&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Islam Makhachev says his dream fight would be against a prime Tony Ferguson:<br><br>&ldquo;Tony in that moment was a very good athlete, very good fighter.&rdquo;<br><br>&#127909; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/adinross?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>@adinross<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC311?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#UFC311<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#UFC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MMA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#MMA<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Z4vK9idnPC\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/Z4vK9idnPC<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChampRDS\/status\/1878259455298588896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>January 12, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>His unconventional training methods, like throwing medicine balls off his abs or dancing around poles, made everyone question his sanity. However, nothing could make them question his results. Makhachev&rsquo;s interest in facing that version of Ferguson adds a fascinating layer to the historical story.<\/p><blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>&ldquo;Khabib was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson like 5 times, they both have injuries and 5 times the fight is canceled&hellip; My dream to fight this guy at that moment&hellip; Tony in that moment was a very good athlete, very good fighter,&rdquo; <\/em><\/strong>said Makhachev via an interview with Adin Ross.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><p>The timing of Islam Makhachev&rsquo;s revelation comes during the twilight of Ferguson&rsquo;s career. The landscape of the lightweight division has shifted dramatically in recent years. While Ferguson has unfortunately fallen into an eight-fight losing streak, Makhachev has risen to become one of the most dominant champions in the UFC. He has already notched three successful title defenses.&nbsp;<\/p><p>But Islam Makhachev isn&rsquo;t just dwelling on dream matches from the past. He is actively planning his future in the sport, and it&rsquo;s looking increasingly ambitious. He is set to defend his title at UFC 311 against Arman Tsarukyan. If he manages to do that, he will be the first to defend his title 4 times in the lightweight division!<\/p><p><strong>(Image Credit: Joe Camporeale &ndash; Imagn Images)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Islam Makhachev unveils his ultimate dream fight, targeting the elusive &#8220;Boogeyman&#8221; in his prime in the UFC!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":12460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1783],"tags":[1821,2350,1983],"class_list":["post-12449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma","tag-islam-makhachev","tag-tony-ferguson","tag-ufc"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Islam Makhachev Reveals His Dream Fight, And It Is Against The Boogeyman Of The LW Division - 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