ESPN recognized Russian UFC champion Islam Makhachev as the best fighter of 2023
Russian champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight Islam Makhachev was recognized as the best fighter of the year according to ESPN. The post is available on Instagram (the social network is banned in the Russian Federation; it belongs to the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in Russia and is banned) publications
The source called the athlete the successor to Khabib Nurmagomedov, and 2023 as the most successful in his career. According to journalists, in fights against Australian Alexander Volkanovski, he showed himself to be a real champion.
On December 15, The World MMA Awards named Makhachev’s fight against Volkanovski in February as the best of 2023. Then the Russian won by unanimous decision, defending his title for the first time.
On October 21, Makhachev defended the UFC lightweight championship belt for the second time, knocking out Volkanovski in the first round.
In total, the 32-year-old Russian had 26 fights in his career, in which he won 25 victories, losing only once. He tops the UFC rankings regardless of weight categories.
Source: Lenta
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