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Islam Makhachev has issued a hard-hitting response to Max Holloway's criticism of his alleged inactivity. The UFC lightweight champion took to X/Twitter to defend himself against the former featherweight titleholder's claims that he doesn't fight as often as he could.
The Dagestani phenom opted against talking trash, instead using official statistics to invalidate Holloway's point. Makhachev specifically compared the number of times he has fought since 2021 to the number of fights that Holloway and even the latter's UFC 300 opponent, Justin Gaethje, have had.
"For the record: since 2021 I fought 7 times, while Holloway did 5 fights and Justin just 4. Do your homework before talking trash about your champ :)"
Naturally, Makhachev's response drew quite the reaction from fans, many of whom flocked to his tweet to offer their thoughts. Some were in agreement with his statement, while others were critical of his recent run. One fan backed Makhachev, urging him to continue winning despite his detractors.
"You tell em champ! Keep winning! All that matters"
Another fan offered a reminder of how the lightweight champion has beaten Alexander Volkanovski, who has thrice beaten Max Holloway.
"You beat the guy who 50-45'd punching bag Holloway twice"
Others, however, were critical of Makhachev's recent bouts with Volkanovski, accusing him of avoiding ranked lightweights in favor of fighting featherweights.
"How many ranked lightweights of those 7?"
This was echoed by another comment.
"Twice against a featherweight"
A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:
Whatever will come of the squabble between Makhachev and Holloway is likely to be nothing of substance. Both men generally conduct themselves in a respectful manner. However, with the possibility of 'Blessed' beating Gaethje at UFC 300, the two may one day clash over the lightweight title.
Islam Makhachev is currently aiming to fight Dustin Poirier
According to Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier is the only lightweight who isn't currently tied up in a matchup. Furthermore, 'The Diamond' is coming off a brutal knockout of Benoît Saint Denis. This earned the lightweight kingpin's attention, who called on Poirier to face him for the divisional crown.
However, he didn't do so due to a belief that Poirier was worthier of the opportunity than everyone else. Instead, as aforementioned, he felt that 'The Diamond' was simply the only foe available.
