Islam Makhachev Says He Is Done With Lightweight Division; Refuses to Acknowledge Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje & Others

Islam Makhachev may have offended many people! He doesn’t see much competition in the lightweight division. As a result, he has been eyeing a move to welterweight. But if he indeed pulls off something like this, what happens to his lightweight rivals who want to face him in the octagon?

Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje would be two such people. Oliveira faced the Russian at UFC 280 but lost via unanimous decision. On the other hand, Gaethje is interested in facing Makhachev. So in a recent conversation with Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier, the lightweight champion shared his plans ahead. But the bigger question is- Will Dana White let Makhachev have his way?

Did Islam Makhachev just shut down the whole lightweight division?

During the conversation in the ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ show, ‘The American Gangster’ noticed that Makhachev was getting bored with his current division. He asked the champion if there were a certain amount of fights, after which he would jump to the next class. Without wasting a single moment, Makhachev pounced on the idea of claiming the welterweight belt. He said, “Man, who we have next? Now, we have Poirier. After if I beat Poirier and Arman, I don’t know. I don’t have some job in my division. And I need the second belt.” 

Something that should be noted is that this is not a new discussion and Makhachev has time and time again asserted his plan, which has been remarked on by several UFC entities. For instance, right after the Dagestani’s pompous victory against Volk, Henry Cejudo pointed out how Makhachev still accepts rematches, despite claims of wanting to move up a weight class. This was deemed as a flaw in his plan.

“Why do the rematches? If Dana White is planning on, if Colby does win, and them fighting, why do the rematches. You want to fight as many people as you possibly can try to clear the division as much as you can to bring the storylines as much as you can to eventually go up to 170 pounds and claim that title,” Cejudo opined.

While the ex-olympian only sought to help the champ, another UFC lightweight believed that Makhachev should not move to a heavier weight class just yet. Drew Dober previously claimed that the Dagestani should look forward to building his legacy, like how Alexander Volkanovski did. He said, “I mean, I think it’d be a tough fight. But Islam is super-talented. I think he could, you know, pose some problems at welterweight. But I think these champions need to stay in their weight classes. And I think ‘Volk’ did one hell of a job. But these champs need to build a legacy within their weight class and not try to jump and stall out divisions.”

Yet, in the conversation with Chael Sonnen and Cormier, it seemed like Makhachev had made up his mind about the 170 lb division.

Makhachev further added, “Yeah, of course. This is my dream to be double champion. I want to beat DC record. He’s a double champion in AKA, I has to be second guy.” Surely, he is competing with Cormier. But becoming a champ-champ will also propel him ahead of Khabib Nurmagomedov- his teammate and mentor. But who does Islam Makhachev want to fight in the welterweight category?

UFC’s lightweight champ has a name in his mind! But will Dana White agree?

As per ‘Young ‘n’ Faded MMA Society’, Makhachev has requested Dana White to pit him against the welterweight champ, Leon Edwards. However, the UFC CEO has refused to let Makhachev enter the welterweight realm. Fighters like Justin Gaethje, Tsarukyan, and Makhachev’s former opponent, Oliveira, have often talked about fighting for the lightweight title. In fact, Poirier will be the first UFC lightweight whom Makhachev will be defending the lightweight belt against. 

Because of this, White believes that Makhachev still has some work left in his division. Everyone apart from Charles Oliveria and Arman Tsarukyan would be a fresh matchup for the Dagestani. Similar is the case for Edwards at 170 lbs. Everyone in the top 5 except Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman are fresh opponents for the Englishman.

Nevertheless, with the champ ready to move to become the double champion, it is only a matter of time for the UFC big gun to give him the fight he desires. Do you think Makhachev could be as successful at welterweight? Let us know in the comments below.