One of the most discussed topics in the welterweight realm is Islam Makhachev’s possible move to the 170-lbs division. With the dream of surpassing his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and becoming a double division champion, Makhachev has been asking the UFC officials to let him move for a long while now. And this has kept most of the welterweight fighters on alert. And that’s only natural, given the Dagestani’s history and 15-fight win streak. But with Belal Muhammad already ruling the welterweight realm, Makhachev is seemingly facing a moral dilemma. After all, Muhammad is a pretty close associate of the Dagestani camp. 

Nevertheless, this dilemma doesn’t really extend to other fighters who aim to become a welterweight champion. And the #13 welterweight contender, Carlos Prates, is one such fighter. For him, it didn’t matter if he had to compete against ‘Remember The Name’ or his Dagestani friend. All that he wanted was the championship title. But if he had the option to choose, who would Prates like to go up against?

Prior to his battle against Ian Garry, Prates appeared in an interview with Real MMA Today, wherein he was asked about the possibility of fighting Makhachev instead of Muhammad. But even though the Brazilian seemed ready to tackle either of them, it was the Dagestani’s reputation that pulled Prates towards the lightweight champion. ‘The Nightmare’ said, “You know, I fight anyone, you know. I’m a fighter. I like to fight. But, it’s gonna be a tough, you know, it’s gonna be a hard fight, because I think Islam is much better than Belal Muhammad, you know. Better saying, I don’t know if he’s better fighter. But he’s much more harder win the fight against Makhachev than Belal Muhammad, you know. Because he’s good on the striking, good on the ground.” 

Well, Prates’ words didn’t really mean that he undermined the Palestinian champion’s strength. He pointed out that Muhammad’s wrestling was truly on a higher level than most MMA athletes. But it’s his mindset that attracted Prates. However, in the end, it didn’t matter if it was Makhachev or Muhammad at the opposite corner. He continued, “I think his [Muhammad’s] mind, also mindset is really good. He’s just keep it going, keep it going. He never give up. But it is what it is, you know. When I going to fight for the belt, I don’t care who is a champ, who is gonna be a champ. I just going to step on the cage, I’m gonna beat him up, and gonna become a UFC welterweight champ.” 

As of now, ‘Remember The Name’ is set to fight Jack Della Maddalena and defend his welterweight belt for the first time at UFC 315. But if the Australian star won, he didn’t swerve away from the idea of fighting the lightweight champion. Let’s see what Della Maddalena had to say about the matchup against Makhachev.

Jack Della Maddalena’s thoughts on a matchup against Islam Makhachev

Back in 2023, Makhachev fought Alexander Volkanovski twice and secured a victory in both fights. While the Dagestanis celebrated Makhachev’s victory, Volkanovski’s countryfolk looked at him with the intent to exact revenge. And Della Maddalena was one such man from Volkanovski’s country. Della Maddalena weighed in on the idea of fighting the Dagestani champion and claimed that it was his dream fight.

During his appearance on The Grin Reapers Podcast, he said, “Yeah, that would be nice. Yes, that would be a great story like, Volk’s revenge. Anything is possible. Get through Belal and the opportunities will present themselves.” But first, the Australian welterweight star will have to prove himself against ‘Remember The Name’ at UFC 315.

And as far as Prates’ take on Muhammad and Makhachev was concerned, the Palestinian champion didn’t really like being called an inferior fighter. He took to X and sent a subtle reply to the UFC Kansas City main eventer. Muhammad wrote, “I would take this nerds lunch money.”

What are your thoughts on the big red target painted on Islam Makhachev’s back? Do you think the Dagestani champion can defeat the likes of Prates and Della Maddalena? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.