Islam Makhachev Explains Lack of American UFC Champions

Islam Makhachev says fighters from his part of the world have more pressure to succeed. | Getty/UFC

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Islam Makhachev believes the a fighter’s responsibilities outside the cage help to produce a champion. 

While the U.S. used to dominate in the past, there are no male American UFC champions left today. Although bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili has American citizenship, he was born and raised in Georgia. Fighters from the Caucasus region have seemingly taken over the sport, dominating almost every major promotion in the world. Five of the Top 15 pound-for-pound UFC fighters belong to the Caucasus region. Former middleweight champ Sean Strickland even blamed the UFC for signing up fighters from the region, which he believes led to the decline of American champs. 

While Makhachev wants more fighters from the Caucasus region, he agrees with Strickland’s theory. Makhachev believes there are no American champs left because the UFC is signing more fighters from his region. Makhachev notes that while American fighters brush aside their losses, the ramifications of a loss for a Caucasian fighter extends far beyond the cage. The former lightweight champ believes Caucasian fighters will dominate the sport even more in the future as long as they keep getting signed.

Makhachev: Losses Don’t Affect U.S. Fighters as Much

“They just started signing more of our guys, that’s the reason… If they keep signing 100% sure there will be more champs from Caucasus, Dagestan, Chechnya,” Makhachev said (via Championship Rounds). “No brainer, our guys live for this sport. In the USA, for example, they don’t worry even if they competed bad. Behind our guys there is a family, the whole city, the whole Republic. And he feels this responsibility, and goes out with full responsibility and wins.”

While Caucasian fighters have long been a formidable force in combat sports, their rise to prominence began with the lightweight title reign of Makhachev’s teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov. After Nurmagomedov retired as an undefeated champion in 2020, Makhachev took over in 2022. Makhachev vacated his UFC lightweight title earlier this year after the highest number of defenses in the history of the division. Makhachev now awaits a title shot against Australian welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena.  

This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com

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