The UFC may be receiving a major blow to its schedule for the second half of 2024, as UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has revealed that he is suffering from a hand injury.
According to a video interview Makhachev did with Russian MMA and boxing media outlet Ushatayka, Makhachev revealed that a recent MRI has shown damage to the ligaments in one of his hands.
It is unknown when he suffered this injury, though Makhachev seemed to suggest it may have come from his victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 last month.
Makhachev is currently exploring options and looking to see if he can recover without surgery. If he has to have the procedure, it will almost certainly leave him unable to compete for the rest of 2024.
This would mean the planned lightweight championship fight between Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26 is in major jeopardy.
"After the fight, my fists hurt, a lot of things hurt," Makhachev said (translation provided via @ChampRDS on X). "We'll take time, everything is healing little by little. An MRI recently confirmed that I have a partial ligament tear. Let's see if I can recover. If not, I might even have to have surgery.
"(Fighting in Abu Dhabi on October 26) is questionable. We haven't talked about the fight yet... I really want to perform before the end of the year. I plan to, too...let's see what happens."
Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan Title Fight Potentially Set For Delay
The UFC has annually held a fall pay-per-view (originally September before moving to October) in Abu Dhabi since 2019. All but one event has seen either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Makhachev main eventing.
Questions of Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan originally arose because of a nine-month suspension the Nevada State Athletic Commission handed down to Tsarukyan for a pre-fight altercation he had with a fan while making his entrance for UFC 300. However, it's expected that the Russian-Armenian will do a PSA that will reduce his suspension to six months, allowing him to stay in the plans for an October title fight.
Tsarukyan defeated former champion Charles Oliveira at the event in a lightweight title eliminator to seemingly secure a second dance with the champ.
Makhachev, meanwhile, defeated Oliveira to claim the lightweight title at UFC 280. He retained the belt successfully against then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski twice in 2023.
It is unknown what the UFC's plans would be for Abu Dhabi in October if Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan cannot take place. Mateusz Gamrot, who faces Dan Hooker at UFC 305 in August, is the only lightweight fighter in the top five of the UFC's lightweight rankings — minus Tsarukyan — with a win in his most recent fight.