Islam Makhachev Hints at Possible Welterweight Move After Colby Covington’s Wild Title Defense Claims

UFC fans are eagerly waiting for the showdown between Colby Covington and Leon Edwards. The two will lock horns for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 296 on December 16. The bout between ‘Rocky’ and ‘Chaos’ has the potential to blow the roof off the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their bout is highly anticipated, mainly because of the controversy surrounding the matchup. Many believe that Covington does not deserve to fight for the welterweight title, as he has lost two title shots in the past against the then-welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.

Recently, Covington made it clear that he is fully confident about winning the title shot against ‘Rocky.’ He further revealed that he would defend his title against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Surprisingly, the Dagestani fighter has given an unexpected reply in response to Covington’s callout. Let’s find out more about Makhachev’s stand.

Islam Makhachev responds to Colby Covington

Presently, Islam Makhachev is getting ready to defend his lightweight belt against former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. The two UFC greats are set to square off at UFC 294 on October 21 at the Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. It seems that Makhachev is confident about winning against Oliveira. His recent tweet also revealed that he has made up his mind to move up to the welterweight division to fight against Colby Covington if he becomes the UFC welterweight champion after defeating Edwards.

Covington believed that the lightweight division was not right for Islam Makhachev. He suggested that the Dagestani fighter should move up to the welterweight division to fight real fighters who are bigger. After coming across the words of Covington, Makhachev took to his social media handle and wrote, “easy money.” If Covington manages to win against Edwards, it is obvious that a lot of interesting bouts are waiting for him. It seems that a bout against Islam Makhachev would be one of them. However, many strongly believe that Covington won’t be able to defeat Edwards, as the latter has now developed into one of the best fighters on the UFC roster. How do you see this fight playing out? Let us know in the comments.

Javier Mendez details Makhachev’s plans

Islam Makhachev’s coach once detailed the cosmic plans the Dagestani fighter has for the future. Presently, the UFC lightweight champion is focused on defending his title against Charles Oliveira. Later, Mendez wants Makhachev to fight against Alexander Volkanovski to prove that Makhachev is the better fighter between the two. The light champion’s first title defense was against Volkanovski at UFC 284. Back then, Makhachev won the bout via unanimous decision.

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However, many opposed the decision and declared that Volkanovski was the real winner. Hence, Mendez is looking forward to a rematch to prove them wrong. Following these plans, the coach revealed that after defeating Volkanovski, his student would move up to the welterweight division to become the two-division champion. What are your thoughts about Makhachev moving up to welterweight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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