Islam Makhachev explains why Fakhretdinov did not receive a new contract with the UFC

Islam Makhachev explained why Rinat Fakhretdinov did not receive an offer to sign a new contract from the UFC. The champion stressed that now it is not enough just to win.

A few days ago, it made headlines that Rinat Fakhretdinov had not been offered a new contract by the UFC. This was surprising news, since the fighter from Tatarstan has fought seven fights in the world’s best MMA organization and has not scored a single defeat.

Islam Makhachev decided to lean into the issue during an interview with Ushatayka and talked about why, in his opinion, Rinat Fakhretdinov was not offered a new contract by the UFC.

– Rinat is a good fighter with solid skills, but the UFC needs fighters who can promote fights, who know how to sell a product so the organization can make money. And Rinat was just walking into the octagon and winning.

Islam Makhachev confirmed that it is very important for the organization that the fighters strongly promote the clashes and are able to speak at least a little English.

– The UFC doesn’t want fighters who don’t speak anything. That’s why I explain to all my colleagues that they need to learn English, do something that will interest foreign fans, so as to promote the fights. In the US, they love WWE wrestling, they want spectacle and games. So we have to, so learn it and adapt.

The UFC welterweight division champion seems to have a good understanding of the standards currently prevailing in the American organization. It seems that after signing a deal with Paramount+, the offerings and juxtapositions will have to be even more tailored to what fans in the US expect.