"Back when the shorts looked cooler" - Fans react looking back at Islam Makhachev's debut on this day in May 2015

Islam Makhachev is set to make his return to the octagon in just over a week when he defends his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302. The No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter made his promotional debut on this date nine years ago, defeating Leo Kuntz via second-round submission at UFC 187.

UFC's official Instagram handle shared footage of his victory, captioning the post:

"#OnThisDay in 2015, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev made his Octagon debut at UFC 187 👏 @Islam_Makhachev makes his third title defense next week at #UFC302!"

Check out the post from the UFC below:

Fans shared their reaction to the footage, with @erindeadpoolhunter being impressed with the old shorts fighters used to wear:

"Back when the shorts looked cooler😂😂"

@awkwardmemes_ asked to see footage of his second fight, in which he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Adriano Martins:

"Show us the Adriano Martins fight"

@voxeres predicted that Poirier will become the new lightweight champion:

"cant be islam clip without em on his knees #andnew"

@send_me_location1 noted that Makhachev is the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter on the roster:

"PFP King 👑 Islam Makhachev 🏆"

@abdoughul labeled the lightweight champion's wrestling, judo and sambo as elite:

"Islam wrestling judo sambo level elite 🔥 🔥 🔥"

Check out the best fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

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Islam Makhachev reveals Khabib Nurmagomedov misses fighting

Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from mixed martial arts after defeating Justin Gaethje via second-round submission at UFC 254 in October 2020. 'The Eagle' cited his father and long-time coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's passing as the reason.

While he has shared that he does not plan to return to the octagon, his close friend and long-time training partner Makhachev recently claimed that the former lightweight champion misses fighting. Speaking to Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, the lightweight champion stated:

"I think he is happy, but this guy misses the fighting, fight camps. That's why he joins with us everywhere. In long time, now he will come here, and he loves to train. Everyday he trains. Not just when he's with us. Everyday this guy is training. He has a house in the village. He has a house in the city. Both houses have sauna. Both houses have very good gym, swimming pool. This guy is training everyday. For the good dinner, he has to train."

Check out Islam Makhachev's comments on Khabib Nurmagomedov below:

Although Nurmagomedov has not stopped training, he has not competed in nearly four years. He retired with an undefeated 29-0 record and has since been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, while also coaching Makhachev to the lightweight title. He also retired from coaching in January 2023.