Islam Makhachev has now gone further than any fighter in MMA history after successfully defending his welterweight title for the first time in the UFC 330 main event.
For many years, the UFC win-streak record of 16 consecutive fights held by Anderson Silva seemed untouchable. Other names came up short at 13, 14 or 15 wins. Then Makhachev finally reached the moment where he could surpass "The Spider," and didn't let it slip away from him.
Makhachev (29-1 MMA, 18-1 UFC) got a tougher fighter from Ian Machado Garry (17-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia than the betting odds anticipated. He had a game opponent who was there to win, but Makhachev once again showed that when it comes time to dig deep and secure the result
in his favor, he always find a way.
With his name firmly entrenched now among the all-time greats, it's just a question of how much further he can take this run. The will appears to be all there, with Makhachev promising he has "many more" years ahead of him in the sport with the goal to hit at least 20 straight wins.
He's not ducking any of the smoke, either. Makhachev repeated multiple times after his victory that he sees the 170-pound division as the deepest and toughest in the UFC right now, and he wants to clean it out and show that he is the unanimous, undeniable greatest of all time in MMA.
The stage is very much set for him to do so, as well. The matchups on the horizon aren't any easier than Machado Garry, and perhaps in some ways more difficult. But who is going to get the next crack?
At this point, it seems to be a pretty clear two-horse race between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, both of whom are dangerous and significant challenges in their own ways.
Although Morales (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has the upper hand of being undefeated, it's hard not to side with the resume of Prates (24-7 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who is coming off a pair of destructive performances against former divisional champions in Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena. It should be him.
The build to a Prates fight would be more fun, as well. The clash in lifestyles between the goal-driven, dedicated and no-nonsense Makhachev and the cigarette-smoking, beer-drinking, Nutella-eating Prates is another example of there being unique paths to success in MMA.
Add on the fact that Prates is currently ranked higher than Morales, and the choice here should be clear.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean Shelby's Shoes: What's next for Islam Makhachev after UFC 330 win?
