According to UFC color commentator and former two-weight champion, Daniel Cormier, upwards of $1 million was forked out for the camp of newly minted undisputed lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev to prepare for his UFC 280 clash with Charles Oliveira over the weekend.
Headlining UFC 280 in a return to Abu Dhabi, UAE – Makhachev competed with his fellow surging contender, former undisputed titleholder, Oliveira for vacant 155lbs gold.
Landing a series of takedowns in the opening round, Makhachev managed to score a rather heavy knockdown on the Brazilian midway through the second, countering a front kick attempt with a left hand and a right hook, flattening the Sao Paulo favorite.
Immediately following the dangerous grappler, Oliveira to the canvas, Makhachev sought out an arm-triangle choke, before moving to side control with aplomb, forcing a tap to secure American Kickboxing Academy its second UFC lightweight crown after the coronation of his teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2018.
Islam Makhachev saw upwards of $1,000,000 pumped into his UFC 280 camp
Providing some insight into the training methods and profile of Islam Makhachev’s camp ahead of his ‘Fight Island’ showdown with Oliveira, the aforenoted, Cormier confirmed that upwards of a $1 million was spent in order to prepare Makhachev for his premier title siege under the UFC banner.
Following his title victory, Makhachev was joined in the Octagon by undisputed promotional featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski – who appears poised to welcome the Dagestan native to his native Australia in February of next year at UFC 284 as he attempts to become a two-division champion.
Set to return to camp in just over two weeks’ time under the tutelage of close friend and compatriot, Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev extends his stunning undefeated streak to 11 straight fights with his submission win over Oliveira – in turn snapping the Brazilian division-best unbeaten run. The submission win also came as Makhachev’s eleventh since his 2010 career birth.
