Islam Makhachev makes bold claim about Timur Valiev after loss against Brad Katona at TUF 31

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev showered high praise on his friend and training partner Timur Valiev despite a semi-final split decision loss against TUF veteran Brad 'Superman' Katona.

Interestingly, Katona was also a part of Michael Chandler's camp during the early stages of the season. With this win, Conor McGregor now has a finalist on his hand which looked nearly impossible after the horrible start his team had.

Earlier in the season, the lightweight champion had graced TUF with his presence and surprised his long time training partner. For Makhachev, his friend's loss this close to the finale was probably a tough pill to swallow. Reacting to a clip posted by UFC's official social handle, Makhachev made quite a statement.

Timur (33) does not have a lot of time to wait around. In his prior UFC stint (2020-2022), the Russian fighter had four octagon appearances with a 2-1-1 record. Timur last competed inside the UFC octagon on March 19, 2022.

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Islam Makhachev accepts his mistake

UFC's 155 lbs king does not miss a beat inside the octagon. That said, he made quite a mess last week in his picks for UFC 291.

Makhachev had picked Dustin Poirier, Jan Blachowicz, De Lima, Green, and Chiesa to get their hands raised at the PPV. However, only Bobby Green was able to secure the victory.

The Russian fighter showed his laid back side and accepted it was not his best list of predictions.

Makhachev is currently scheduled to make a second defense of his lightweight title against former champion Charles 'Do Bronx' Oliveira. The bout will take place at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

With Oliveira, Gaethje, and Volkanovski waiting in a queue, Makhachev's hands are full. However his championship reign will be one for the ages if he is able to do what his teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov did - retire with a UFC title.

What do you make of Makhachev's words about Timur Valiev? Share your thoughts in the comments.