5 fighters Islam Makhachev must defeat before earning a title shot

#4. Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier has one win over fighters currently ranked in the top 10

While Charles Oliveira is clearly the No.1 fighter at 155 lbs right now, Dustin Poirier is very possibly a close runner-up. Fans of Islam Makhachev would likely debate that statement, providing the perfect opportunity to match these two fighters up and figure out who’s better.

Unlike Makhachev, there can be no argument that Poirier hasn’t faced tough competition during his UFC run. 'Diamond' is a UFC veteran that has competed against top contenders for years, and even though he hasn’t won the undisputed belt, he has taken out a number of top contenders.

There may be no better way of proving that Makhachev is ready for title contention than beating Poirier. ‘The Diamond’ is clearly a top five lightweight and would remove any question marks surrounding the Russian. The only reason this bout doesn’t rank higher is because of Poirier's potential reluctance to book the matchup.

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#3. Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush

Beneil Dariush has 0 wins over fighters currently ranked in the top 10

At one point, this bout was scheduled to be the number one contender fight in the lightweight division. Sadly, Beneil Dariush was forced to pull out with injury, therefore missing out on the biggest opportunity of his career—on the other hand, Makhachev lost the chance to prove himself against a top contender.

When Makhachev seemed to turn down a similar opportunity against Rafael dos Anjos, Dana White announced his intention to re-book the Dariush vs. Makhachev fight. While he has since back-tracked on this fight, there is certainly an argument to be made that pairing these two up once again makes sense.

Dariush ought to be able to return to competitive action before too long, and both men remain in similar places career-wise to the first time they were matched up. However, fans might argue that the Iranian-American is also somewhat unproven against the very top of the division.