UFC News: After Dana White’s and Leon Edwards’ Bad News, Islam Makhachev Makes a Final Call on 170 lbs Title Shot

Leon Edwards is all in on legacy fights. The welterweight champion, who’s defending his crown at UFC 304 against Belal Muhammad, believes the fight against Islam Makhachev would be an interesting one, but there’s a slight problem. Edwards believes that he and the lightweight champion still have a few challengers to fight before they square off. However, Makhachev begs to differ.

It’s clear that the next belt is already in Islam Makhachev’s sight. His win over Dustin Poirier has surely eradicated all doubts about his status as the 155-pound champion, and now, with 14 wins in a row, a move up the weight class won’t be a surprise. But does Makhachev really have work left in his division as Leon Edwards implied? The lightweight champion recently opened up about the same question.

Islam Makhachev ‘doesn’t see any opponents’ left in his division

Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protégé has returned to Dagestan after the back-and-forth win at UFC 302. He received a heartwarming hero’s welcome at the airport in Makhachkala, where a few media outlets caught up with him. At the end of his chat with the media, Islam Makhachev was made aware of the comments Leon Edwards made about him having work to do in the lightweight division, to which he responded by claiming that he doesn’t share the same opinion.

“Well, I don’t see any opponents I haven’t already beaten in my division in the top and the boys beat each other. I have the rest,” Makhachev told Ushatayka. The champion would also mention that Arman Tsarukyan, whom he’s supposed to fight next, is someone whom he’s already beaten. And if by any chance he gets the nod from the UFC, he would certainly dive into the quest for the welterweight title.

“I already beat him [Tsarukyan]. But if I’m given a chance to choose, of course, I would win the second [belt],” Islam Makhachev added. The 155-pound champion is now planning to return again this year, preferably in November at Madison Square Garden. Will he get that double championship chance then? Well, we can’t be sure of anything yet.

Although the Dagestani phenom is looking to move up and fight for that belt, Dana White already made up his mind about Islam Makhachev’s fourth title defense, and that is indeed Arman Tsarukyan. The UFC CEO was on the same page about Makhachev and Edwards having work to do in their divisions, and seemed adamant about it during the post-fight pressers at UFC 302.

Dana White thinks Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan “needs to happen”

The UFC CEO, who’s been in the fight business for more years than people can remember, believes that, as a champion, Islam Makhachev taking on Arman Tsarukyan is the fight that fans want to see. The Armenian is the clear No.1 contender for the lightweight strap, and Dana White wants him to have his shot. “That’s the fight to make. That’s the fight. That’s the fight everybody wants to see, that’s the fight that needs to happen,” the 54-year-old stated during the post-fight pressers.

Furthermore, Dana White claims Islam Makhachev has to fulfill some of his duties as the lightweight champion before thinking about becoming a double champion, including fighting Arman Tsarukyan. As far as the location and date of the fight are concerned, they are still working on it. “When we were talking earlier about [Islam Makhachev] moving up, if I was him I wouldn’t even think about moving up until he had that fight. But I don’t know about having that fight in Russia. I don’t know where we would do it,” White added.

It is surely an interesting time for Islam Makhachev as he’s probably not that far away from becoming a double champion. But what do you make of his response to Leon Edwards and Dana White’s statements? Drop your comments below.