Chechen UFC fighter refuses to fight fellow 'Islam'

Despite competing in the same weight class, Chechen fighter Islam Dulatov has declared he would never face Islam Makhachev, even if the opportunity arose. Dulatov expressed that their shared names and differing heritages from Chechnya and Dagestan would make such a matchup problematic, potentially becoming a political issue. He emphasized that as a newcomer, a fight against the reigning champion Makhachev wouldn't make sense. Dulatov recently secured his UFC contract via a first-round knockout on Dana White's Contender Series in 2024, followed by another knockout victory in his promotional debut at UFC 318. He also has a public profile as a model. Dulatov is now preparing to compete at UFC Abu Dhabi against Wellington Turman. During the pre-fight press conference, Dulatov confidently dismissed Turman's prediction of a second-round knockout, stating that most opponents do not even see the second round against him, as he has finished 11 of his 12 professional opponents in the first round. Dulatov boldly predicted he would finish Turman in the first round.