Islam Makhachev is hoping to defend his UFC title against Arman Tsarukyan this year, but his health might not allow it.
UFC lightweight champion Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) has revealed he is still dealing with a chronic hand injury sustained in his fifth-round submission win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in June, and is in doubt whether he will be able to defend his title against Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) at UFC 308 on October 26 in Abu Dhabi.
Makhachev said he expects to return to the Octagon sometime this year, though UFC has yet to formally discuss a fight date with his team. However, recent MRI results have thrown his return into doubt.
“After the fight (with Poirier), my fist hurts, I'm in pain everywhere,” Makhachev told Ushataika in Russian (HT/championship rounds at X). “It will take time. I'm slowly getting better, but my hand still hurts. An MRI recently confirmed that I have a partially torn ligament. We'll see if I can recover. If I can't, I might need surgery.”
“It's questionable (whether I will compete at UFC 308). I haven't talked about a fight yet. Right now I'm just doing my rehab every day. We'll see how my hand goes.”
Makhachev is aware of some in the fan base who say he isn't playing often enough, despite playing at least two games per year every year since 2020. Taking an extended break from the game is not something he wants to do, but his recovery timeline could change that.
“I want to play before the end of the year,” Makhachev said. “I plan to play. At the moment I have never even thought about not playing. I want to be in shape and ready to go, so there's nothing to worry about. Before my last fight I had a lot of little injuries. Everyone somehow had injuries piling up. I want to give my body time to recover.”
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