Can Islam Makhachev Break Record For UFC Title Fight Wins?

At UFC 311, Islam Makhachev can take sole possession of the all-time record for UFC lightweight title fight wins. If Makhachev defeats Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of the upcoming UFC 311 pay-per-view card, he will have five title fight victories. A win over Tsarukyan will give Makhachev one more UFC 155-pound title fight victory than the three UFC competitors he is currently tied with in that category, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Benson Henderson, and BJ Penn.

UFC 311: Islam Makhachev UFC Records

Makhachev, who joined the UFC in May 2015, currently holds the UFC record for longest winning streak in the promotion’s lightweight division with 13 straight victories.

Makhachev, who has a career record of 26-1 and is 15-1 in the UFC, is riding an overall 14-fight winning streak, with one of those bouts, a February 2022 TKO win over Bobby Green, coming at a catchweight of 160 pounds.

The 33-year-old Makhachev lost his second fight with the promotion when Adriano Martins knocked him out at the 1:46 mark of the first round of their UFC 192 battle in October 2015. Makhachev has not tasted defeat since.

Makhachev also holds the UFC lightweight record for significant striking accuracy at 60.3 percent.

He is coming off a submission win over Dustin Poirier in defense of his lightweight title in June in the main event of UFC 302.

UFC 311: Islam Makhachev Title Fight Wins

Makhachev first fought for the UFC lightweight title in October 2022 when he met Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. The vacant 155-pound UFC crown was on the line on that night in Abu Dhabi. Makhachev claimed the belt with a second-round submission.

In his first title defense, Makhachev defeated UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski in a hard-fought five-round scrap at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. Makhachev won that contest by unanimous decision.

Makhachev and Volkanovski ran things back at UFC 294. The lightweight champ left no question of his superiority in the rematch, knocking out Volkanovski at 3:06 of the first round. The loss was Volkanovski’s first KO setback as a UFC competitor.

His most recent title defense came against Poirier.

UFC 311 Main Event: Islam Makhachev Vs. Arman Tsarukyan 1 Recap

When these two first stared each other down from across the Octagon, Makhachev was 16-1 overall and 4-1 in the UFC. As for Tsarukyan, he had an overall mark of 13-1 and was making his UFC debut.

When these two first stared each other down from across the Octagon, Makhachev was 16-1 overall and 4-1 in the UFC. As for Tsarukyan, he had an overall mark of 13-1 and was making his UFC debut. Tsarukyan looked to establish his striking and keep distance from Makhachev with kicks early, but the two quickly went into a wrestling battle, with both fighters working well with pressure against the fence before Makhachev scored a nifty takedown that put Tsarukyan on his back. However, he did not accept the position and returned to his feet.

Tsarukyan then responded with a takedown of his own, but like Makhachev, he could not establish a ground position before his opponent got to his feet. The two exchanged head kick attempts from distance to open the second stanza. As in the first round, the two mixed takedown attempts with their striking with Makhachev getting the best of those attempts thanks to his chain wrestling and relentless attack. Once on the mat, Tsarukyan looked for a kimura but could not set the submission attempt. Tsarukyan then got back to his feet, and the two engaged in a battle against the fence for the remainder of the round.

The third round mirrored the first 10 minutes of the contest, with both men active in the striking department early before returning to their wrestling. As in the first two rounds, Makhachev had more success with two takedowns and 2:31 of control time.

The fast-paced 15-minute battle went to Makhachev with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28. The contest took home “Fight of the Night” honors and established both men as potential title contenders. The UFC commentary team, who had not seen Tsarukyan in the Octagon, were especially effusive in their praise of his effort in his UFC debut.

The fight ended with Makhachev landing 47 of 53 total strikes while going four for nine in takedown attempts. He added 6:06 of control time. Meanwhile, Tsarukyan landed 60 of 90 total strikes and had one takedown on 12 attempts, while picking up 1:47 of control time. Neither man logged a submission or a reversal.

Rewatching their first meeting, it’s no surprise to see these two running things back in a title fight in 2024.

UFC 311 Main Event Opening Odds: Islam Makhachev Vs. Arman Tsarukyan

According to BetOnline, Makhachev opened as the betting favorite in this rematch, opening at -255, while Tsarukyan was the +215 betting underdog.

The closing odds of their first fight saw Makhachev enter the Octagon as the -300 betting favorite over the +240 Tsarukyan.

UFC 311: Islam Makhachev Vs. Arman Tsarukyan Full Fight Card

The UFC 311 fight card is the first pay-per-view event on the UFC’s 2025 schedule.

UFC 311: Islam Makhachev Vs. Arman Tsarukyan Full Fight Card

UFC 311: Islam Makhachev Vs. Arman Tsarukyan

PPV Card

Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano

Jiří Procházka vs. Jamahal Hill

Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder

UFC 311: Islam Makhachev Vs. Arman Tsarukyan Preliminary card

Johnny Walker vs. Bogdan Guskov

Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos

Jailton Almeida vs.Serghei Spivac

Zachary Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas

UFC 311: Islam Makhachev Vs. Arman Tsarukyan Early Preliminary Card

Grant Dawson vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira

Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Pérez

Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov

Ricky Turcios vs. Bernardo Sopaj

Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter

*UFC 311 fight card is subject to change

UFC 311 takes place on January 18, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The pay-per-view portion of the event begins at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.

We will have more on UFC 311: Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan, as fight night nears.