Submission! Makhachev Catches Moises With RNC In The 4th

Islam Makhachev has been getting hyped up as the next coming of Khabib Nurmagomedov, and while the 29-year-old Dagestani didn’t quite hit that level of dominance against Thiago Moises at UFC Vegas 31 tonight (Sat., July 17, 2021), he did deliver quite the one-sided performance inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The story of the fight was control: Makhachev dominated every element of the bout, from the striking exchanges to grappling. The only spot Moises managed to seize any decent offense for himself was when he pushed Islam against the cage and held him there. Our only criticism?

Islam just hasn’t managed to channel his inner “smesh” machine just yet.

After a first round with a lot more striking than expected, Makhachev’s coach at American Kickboxing Acaedmy (AKA), Javier Mendez, asked him to go back to his grappling strengths and Islam largely fulfilled that request. He put dowon Moises repeatedly, and it was on the ground that he took Thiago’s back and sunk in a rear-naked choke halfway through the fourth frame.

Check out the highlights here:

The win moves Makhachev to 20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC, and sees the 155-pound fighter extend his UFC streak to an impressive eight wins. Moises, meanwhile, drops to 15-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC, snapping a three-fight win streak.

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