Champions rarely get to pick their path forward without complications. The UFC matchmaking machine throws curveballs at every turn. Injuries derail planned fights constantly throughout the year. Political maneuvering behind the scenes affects who gets title shots. Friendships between fighters create awkward situations nobody wants to address publicly. And Islam Makhachev has dealt with all these issues during his reign.
The Dagestani fighter broke the lightweight title defense record with four consecutive wins. But circumstances forced him to make a major decision about his future. His close friend Belal Muhammad held the welterweight belt for a while. Makhachev refused to fight Muhammad because of their friendship and training relationship. Then Jack Della Maddalena defeated Muhammad and took the title away. This opened the door for Makhachev to finally move up in weight. He relinquished his lightweight championship and now challenges Della Maddalena at UFC 322 this Saturday. In the recent media day. He opened up on possible fights with Kamaru Usman, Ilia Topuria and other contenders waiting after this weekend.
Makhachev addressed his future plans during UFC 322 media day recently. Reporters asked about potential opponents if he wins the welterweight title. The champion had clearly thought about this question already. He mentioned Kamaru Usman specifically as the most interesting matchup available.
“Why I said [Kamaru] Usman, he’s the biggest name in welterweight. [He] defended the belt. He’s a big name, and he’s in a good position right now. He beat [Joaquin] Buckley, who is one of the contenders also.”
His reasoning makes perfect sense from a promotional standpoint. Usman defended the welterweight belt multiple times during his dominant reign. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ remains one of the biggest names at 170 pounds. He recently beat Joaquin Buckley, who was climbing the contender rankings himself. That victory put Usman back in the title picture definitively.
Makhachev also looked at the other options in the division. Shavkat Rakhmonov is apparently injured and unavailable for the immediate future. Sean Brady fights this weekend at UFC 322 against Michael Morales. That bout will determine one potential contender for sure. Ian Machado Garry and Belal Muhammad headline UFC Qatar as the co-main event soon. But none of those names carry Usman’s star power right now.
Makhachev also addressed the Ilia Topuria situation during his media availability. This matchup has an interesting history behind it already. Topuria was calling Makhachev out when he was the featherweight champion. Both these guys then moved up a weight division. Ilia now is the lightweight champion and is still gunning for a fight. Makhachev acknowledged this during his media day comments.
“Ilia is the champion now at lightweight but we’ll see. He keeps talking about the fight against me. After that fight, let’s see. We will do some things. Because everyone wants this fight so we will speak about this after.”
Makhachev noted that everyone wants to see this matchup happen eventually. He promised they would discuss things after UFC 322 finishes. First he needs to handle business against Jack Della Maddalena this weekend. Then the real fun negotiations can begin.
(Image Credit: Sergei Belski – Imagn Images)
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