There was a time when simply becoming a UFC champion was the ultimate goal. But ever since Conor McGregor‘s historic feat in 2016, to Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo following suit, the pursuit of double gold became the new goal for a legacy—Something which Khabib Nurmagomedov couldn’t do but his protege, Islam Makhachev, wants to achieve exactly that. He has been pushing to move to the welterweight division, but the new champ Belal Muhammad has ruined his plans.

Both Muhammad and Makhachev share a friendly bond and have made it clear that they won’t fight against each other ever. However, ‘Remember The Name’ has hinted at something new with his latest tweet on X. The tweet came after the recently concluded UFC 312 main event between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. After watching the fight, he tweeted, “I can be double champ pretty easily,” suggesting Belal’s confidence in beating Du Plessis.

So is the welterweight champion looking to move to the middleweight division next? If that happens, it will clear the road for the lightweight champion, who can then test his skills in a new division.

As of now, that move doesn’t look possible because Muhammad has had no title defenses in the welterweight division. The UFC will not let him move forward without successfully defending his title. However, what happens if he decides to move to a new division? This was exactly the point of discussion at the ‘Javier Mendez Podcast’.

During the podcast, the host Len asked Mendez, “There was something that I was reading into, it could be something I glanced into while reading, that Belal was looking at fighting at middleweight.” Mendez was quick to respond, “Well that’s if Belal is interested in going to 185 that would be superb. […] Well, I think the math works like this. The UFC, ‘We are going to put you against Dricus [Du Plessis]’. Islam says, ‘Can you give me the welterweight title shot against Shavkat [Rakhmonov]’.”

“I would say, ‘Yes, let’s go’. That’s great because Islam, he already broke the record for most title defenses, four… So if they offer title and Belal goes up, fantastic. Because otherwise, I mean, for Islam to go 185 he’d have to put on some muscle and he’s strong enough but I just don’t know about the weight. He got to put on some muscle, it’s not an easy.”

He then went on to give Jon Jones’ example. ‘Bones’ last light heavyweight fight was against Dominick Reyes (UFC 247) in Feb. 2020. Post that, he moved to heavyweight and didn’t make his debut until March 2023. It took him about three years to put on muscle and come back to the octagon.

So Mendez is of the opinion that Makhachev too will have to put on quite a bit of muscle for the middleweight division. “Those boys are big,” he opined.

Unless ‘Remember the Name’ moves up a weight class, the road to welterweight gold seems murky for the lightweight champion. Moreover, if Belal Muhammad chooses to defend both belts as Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes did, that’d be another obstacle to Makhachev moving up. Before anything, though, the welterweight champion will have to register at least one title defense.

On the other hand, Islam Makhachev has already created history by defending his title four times in the division. According to him, there is no challenge left for him at lightweight. Although there are a few fights lined up for him next in the division, it seems he will now need some new motivation in his career. But will Islam Makhachev be allowed to make a move to the welterweight division next? Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen doesn’t quite think so.

Chael Sonnen reveals why Islam Makhachev will not get a title shot in welterweight!

Islam Makhachev has already experienced the thrill of becoming a UFC champion, but he craves that rush all over again. And what better way to relive that moment than by adding a second belt to his collection? For the past two years, the reigning lightweight king has been vocal about his desire to move up and challenge for welterweight gold.

A second championship wouldn’t just be another accolade—it would cement his legacy and bring him closer to GOAT status. But not everyone sees his path to double-champ glory as inevitable. Chael Sonnen, for one, has a reality check for the Dagestani star.

When Daniel Cormier brought up the possibility of Islam Makhachev becoming a two-division champion on their Good Guy/Bad Guy show in January, Chael Sonnen didn’t hold back. Known for his unfiltered opinions, ‘Uncle Chael’ delivered a blunt and straightforward take on Makhachev’s chances. He said:

“There’s none. And I’ll tell you why. I don’t think there’s any legitimate beef between [Shavkat] Rakhmonov and Islam. And I know that Belal and Islam are not going to do that. They’ve got the Khabib tie-in and it doesn’t matter if that’s five years deep or five months deep, once it’s there it’s there.”

So, one can only wait a watch what the future holds for Islam Makhachev. Will his dream of becoming a dual champion be realized, or will he forgo that pursuit in the name of friendship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.