Islam Makhachev is always trying to stay ahead of the competition by adding new elements to his game.
Before moving up to welterweight and capturing a second world title last year, Makhachev made history with the most lightweight title defences. He’s built a reputation around his relentless ground game, having submitted top fighters like Dustin Poirier, Renato Moicano and even Charles Oliveira.
Now, it looks like he’s working on some new techniques as he gets ready for his return. While his next fight hasn’t been confirmed yet, there’s every chance we’ll see something different from him when he steps back into the cage.
Islam Makhachev unveils new submission move during training session
A video shared by Red Corner MMA shows Makhachev back home in Dagestan, training with teammates. In the clip, he demonstrates a new submission technique he’s calling the “oxygen cylinder.”
The move looks like a variation of a head-and-arm choke, but with an added twist—he covers his opponent’s mouth. It’s not exactly legal under standard rules, but it does seem to work. The video shows one of his teammates tapping almost immediately after getting caught in it.
“It’s not new, I’ve caught some people with it already,” Makhachev said when asked about the submission by another fighter. The teammate who was submitted added that it was the combination of pressure and having his mouth covered that made it impossible to escape.
Is Islam Makhachev’s new move legal in MMA?
There has been some discussion around whether or not Islam Makhachev’s new submission is actually legal. And as far as the current rules are concerned, it seems that it could be allowed.
A fan on Reddit posed the question to Grok, asking: “Is Islam Makhachev’s ‘oxygen cylinder’ choke submission move illegal in UFC?”
The AI agent replied: “Yes, the ‘Oxygen Cylinder’ choke shown seems legal in UFC/MMA under Unified Rules. It involves pelvis pressure and mouth shutting without inserting fingers (fish hooking, which is illegal). Chokes restricting air or blood are allowed, as long as no other fouls like throat strikes occur. Cool innovation by Makhachev!”
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