The UFC Lightweight Championship is one of the most entertaining divisions in all of MMA today. It is arguably the most stacked with up-and-coming prospects, future legends and solidified legends. Also, it has the biggest name in MMA history, Conor McGregor. For the UFC Lightweight Championship, I want to start later. I send my props to the champions and legends like BJ Penn, Franke Edgar, Benson Henderson, and Anthony Pettis. Four guys who held onto the belt between 1-2 years and were the best in their time undoubtedly. But to summarize this as fast as I can let’s start in 2015. Rafael Dos Anjos won the belt from Anthony Pettis with a stellar unanimous decision victory at UFC 185 in March 2015. He would defend his belt against Donald Cerrone and beat him for the second time in his career before ultimately losing to Eddie Alvarez on UFC Fight Night in July 2016. Eddie beating Dos Anjos felt like it wasn’t supposed to happen.
They already had the face-offs between Conor and Rafael. There was serious beef the two, they did not like each other. That was made to be a great fight. After Eddie defeated Dos Anjos though, Alvarez was set up for a fight he had never imagined in a million years. He was slated to defend his new UFC 155 pound belt for the first time against superstar UFC Featherweight champion Conor McGregor who was just coming off a win over Nate Diaz at welterweight. Two weight classes up from his championship weight. McGregor had defeated legend Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at featherweight. Then went up two divisions and challenged Nate Diaz. Lost by submission in the first fight but returned five months later and won by majority decision in the second fight. Conor, already the featherweight champ would drop back down a division and challenge Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight belt for the chance to become the first ‘double champ’ in UFC history. Eddie was clearly overwhelmed for the fight. Conor was the biggest superstar in MMA already and was fighting the main event on a very stacked card on UFC 205 in November 2016, fighting in Madison Square Garden, NYC. The first combat sports event the state has hosted in decades. The lights were bright, too bright for Eddie. Conor washed Eddie from the start. Conor had three knockdowns in the first round and then put Eddie out of his misery in the second round becoming the first double champ ever in UFC history. The UFC was at its peak that night. Conor took the world by storm and the fanbase for UFC grew in millions overnight it seemed. Conor took over the combat sports world. That’s a story for a different day.
Keeping it about the history of the UFC Lightweight belt. After Conor beat Eddie, Conor would fight Floyd Mayweather in boxing for one of the biggest PPV buys in the history of sports. With Conor choosing to box, he vacated the featherweight belt to interim champion Jose Aldo who then became the undisputed champion again. Then the lightweight belt was vacated April 2018. Interim champion Tony Ferguson was slated to fight undefeated up-and-coming Russian contender Khabib Nurmagomedov. After Tony got hurt before the fight, the UFC vacated Tony of his interim belt and Khabib would face Al Iaquinta for the vacant belt. Khabib would win by unanimous decision the night after the belt was vacated.
After losing to Floyd in boxing, Conor would make his illustrious return back to the UFC in October 2018 to face Khabib for the UFC Lightweight championship. Conor staying in lightweight was coming to get his belt back. Unfortunately for him, Khabib would defeat Conor by submission in one of the biggest rivalries ever in combat sports. The rivalry went beyond the octagon…literally. Again, a story for another day. After Khabib defeated Conor, both men received short term suspensions for the incidents that occurred after the fight. When Khabib returned, he would defend his belt two more times. The first against interim champion Dustin Poirier. Defeating Dustin by rear-naked-choke. Then COVID hit the world, and many lives were lost. Including Khabib’s father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Khabib and his dad were attached at the hip. If you saw Khabib, you saw Abdulmanap. When he passed, Khabib was heartbroken but would still promise to fight the next interim champion Justin Gathje at the UFC Apex Center.
It was supposed to be Khabib vs Tony again, but Khabib was unable to leave Russia due to COVID restraints. Tony would fight Gathje for the interim belt and Gathje would defeat Tony by 5th round TKO. Tony losing his first fight after a 12 fight win streak. He got absolutely mauled by Gathje that night setting up a great fight between Gathje and Khabib. In the fight with Khabib vs Gathje at UFC 254 in October 2020, Nurmagomedov would win via triangle choke. Khabib shocked the UFC world after the fight when he unexpectedly retired at 29-0 and the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He said he promised his mother that he would not fight anymore without his father in his corner. He stuck to that promise and has been retired since. Dana had tried to bring him back for one more fight, but Khabib honored his promise and would not come out of retirement.
UFC would vacate the belt in March 2021. Khabib’s run lasted from October 2018 until March 2021. After the belt was vacated, the belt was put on the line in May 2021 when it was Charles Oliveira vs Michael Chandler. Chandler was a new-comer and former 3x Bellator Lightweight Champion. Oliveira would win early in the 2nd round via TKO and become the new UFC Lightweight champion. He would defend his belt against Dustin Poirier and defeat him the same way Khabib did by rear-naked-choke. Charles was slated to defend his belt against Justin Gathje but would miss weight and would be forced to vacate the belt. Technically ending his tenure as champion in May 2022. Charles (as #1 contender) would defeat Gathje by rear-naked-choke in the first round but because he missed weight could not claim the title. He was now the #1 contender against the long awaited up-and-coming Russian contender Islam Makhachev.
Islam is practically the second coming of Khabib. After Khabib retired, he went into coaching, specifically into training and coaching Islam to take his place and take the belt back to Dagestan where Khabib and Islam were from. Many refer to Islam as Khabib Jr. because of how closely similar they are. Charles vs Islam took place at UFC 280 in Oct 2022 with Islam defeating Charles via arm triangle choke to win the belt. Khabib jumped over the fence hugging Islam in pure joy. Islam currently holds the belt now and is the #2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He defended his crown when he defeated #1 pound-for-pound and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. It was a very close and entertaining fight but Islam in my eyes won three rounds to two and maybe even four rounds to one to win and defend the belt via unanimous decision.
Islam was slated to fight Charles Oliveira next a UFC 294 but right before Charles was supposed to head to Abu Dhabi he got a nasty cut during sparring and had to withdraw from the bout. Soon after, Volkanovski answered the call to replace Charles and keep the main event alive on six days notice for a second chance at double champ status. Unfortunately for Volk, he was head kicked early in the first round for his first ever KO loss of his career and probably his final shot at becoming double champ. (Sometimes a golden opportunity like that proves to be fool’s gold. He lost via KO to Islam and then would lose his featherweight belt four months later to Ilia Topuria… also by KO.)
As of March 2024, we are in a waiting game for Islam. He’s beaten Charles to take the belt. Now he’s defended his belt twice against Volkanovski. Dustin Poirier just beat Benoit Saint-Denis via KO but also lost via KO to Justin Gathje for the BMF belt the fight before. Justin Gathje is fighting Max Holloway to defend his BMF belt at 155 pounds at UFC 300. Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan are also fighting at UFC 300 in a potential title eliminator bout. Honestly, if Islam wants a fight as soon as possible then Dustin might be next based strictly on timing. Dustin doesn’t deserve it right now losing to both Justin and Charles in their most recent head to head’s; but it’s a viable option. If Islam wants to wait a little longer until around October, then he can face off against either Gathje or winner of the Charles/Armen fight. It is clear though that we have the second coming of Khabib in his craft, dominance, and excellence at the 155 pound division. I think Islam has the potential to be champion for a long time. Khabib warned us all those years ago that Islam was next after him; and he was right once again.
BS Reports 
Leave a comment