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Islam Makhachev will face his biggest step up in competition yet when he takes on Dan Hooker at UFC 267. However, Makhachev appears to be eyeing even bigger opponents as per his manager Ali Abdelaziz.
According to Abdelaziz, Islam Makhachev is obsessed with the thought of Conor McGregor as a potential opponent. Abdelaziz believes that the Dagestani dreams about McGregor every night. Sharing Conor McGregor's post, Ali Abdelaziz recently wrote on Twitter:
"This is who you dreaming about every night @MAKHACHEVMMA you know I know."
Dan Hooker stepped in at short notice to fight Islam Makhachev, replacing Rafael dos Anjos who pulled out due to impending knee surgery. Makhachev is currently riding an 8 fight winning streak and is the No.5-ranked lightweight in the UFC. Makhachev is now scheduled to fight the No.6-ranked 'The Hangman'.
Islam Makhachev also recently called out the No.2-ranked UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje. Makhachev did so due to the former interim champion questioning his place on the 155 lbs ladder.
Islam Makhachev's tweet came in response to Justin Gaethje questioning the Dagestani's sudden jump into the top 5. In his last outing, Makhachev defeated Thiago Moises, who currently ranks at number 15 on the lightweight ladder. Justin Gaethje was surprised to see Makhachev jump four spots following his win over Moises. 'The Highlight' said in an interview with Helen Yee:
"It would be good to see Islam fight someone that's ranked higher. It was crazy to see... the dude jump from 15 or 12 to five after beating the No. 14 guy. So yeah, I’m glad to see him fight, you know an actual ranked fighter."
Watch Helen Yee's interview with Justin Gaethje below:
Islam Makhachev vs. Conor McGregor is Ali Abdelaziz's dream fight
In the aftermath of his victory over Thiago Moises, Islam Makhachev called out a bunch of UFC lightweights including Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson and Rafael dos Anjos. However, Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, had envisioned another opponent for a dream fight against the Dagestani.
According to Abdelaziz, a matchup between Islam Makhachev and Conor McGregor was his dream fight. Abdelaziz informed Brett Okamoto of ESPN that there was unfinished business between his stable of fighters and the Irishman.
