Islam Makhachev now holds 10 MMA wins by way of submission. His Kimura win over Dan Hooker also marks his place as the 21st UFC fighter with submissions by 4 or more techniques(RNC, Armbar, Arm Triangle, Kimura).
Hooker stepped up to accept the short notice fight against a very dangerous opponent. Everyone knew that the accomplished striking of Hooker was his advantage in this match, but Makhachev was quick to get him off his feet and on the ground. Just 35-seconds into the bout, Makhachev used a right hook to open up the shot for the double leg. On the ground, he tied up Hooker’s legs and moved to half mount. From there, Mackhachev tied up the Kimura, moved to side control, and then stepped over Hooker’s head. With the Kimura locked up very deep, he looked to the ref as if to say, “Want me to break it?†The ref stepped in and stopped the fight as Hooker walked off, clearly upset.
Makhachev made it clear that he believes he should be next in line for the title fight, “I’m ready for title fight… I know when I take him down, I can finish everywhere. My grappling level is much better than all these guys in this division… This is MMA. MMA ground game, I have the best in the division.(sic)â€
GIVE THIS MAN HIS RESPECT!!!@MakhachevMMA with the round 1ï¸âƒ£ kimura.
— UFC (@ufc) October 30, 2021
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Name a better duo than @MakhachevMMA and @TeamKhabib… #UFC267 pic.twitter.com/6DnqTUwc6M
— UFC (@ufc) October 30, 2021
