Islam Makhachev defeats Leo Kuntz by Submission (rear-naked choke)
Makhachev vs Kuntz · UFC 187
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Makhachev started with patient aggression, throwing Kuntz down with a little over two minutes left in the first round and taking his back.
Kuntz escaped that early trouble and returned to his feet, where he did effective work at range.
Makhachev again took Kuntz's back in round two and secured the rear-naked choke for the tap at 2:38.
- Official UFC resultsMakhachev's UFC debut result
Watch
The full fight.
More videos · 2 clips
Signature moments
Signature moments
Analysts
No verified pre-fight analyst picks are logged for this historical bout.
Track record rows appear only when a timestamped source has been reviewed.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 11-0-0
- Record
- 17-1-1
- 8-0 last 8
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- 34
- Age
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- 1.78 m
- Height
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- 179 cm
- Reach
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- Southpaw
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
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- 67%
- Finish rateFinish %Finish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
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- 5
- Wins by KO/TKOKO/TKO wins
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- 13
- Wins by submissionSub wins
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- 2.63
- Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- 1.55
- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- 61%
- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- 91%
- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Russia
- Nationality
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Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Makhachev
Makhachev's UFC debut showed the patient version of his grappling: pressure behind the takedown, back control through the scramble and a rear-naked choke once Kuntz gave him the angle.
Case for Kuntz
Kuntz's route was to keep the fight long and force Makhachev to reset after every entry, then attack during the transitions before the debutant could settle into top control.
What We Were Watching For
- How Makhachev handles his first UFC-level exchange.
- Whether Kuntz can return to his feet after the takedowns.
- The back-take sequence that creates the second-round choke.
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