In the ever-evolving landscape of the UFC, the allure of champion-versus-champion bouts and the pursuit of multi-division titles have become increasingly prevalent ever since the ‘Notorious’ Conor McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez, the lightweight champion, as the featherweight champion himself, to become the promotion’s first-ever simultaneous two-division champion. That day, McGregor tore the roof off UFC stardom and became a celebrity himself. And many since then have tried to achieve the same glory. And the two fresh examples of fighters on this path of glory are Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.
Both the titans of MMA keenly watched the main event of UFC 315, where the Australian striker Jack Della Maddalena demolished Belal Muhammad to capture the UFC welterweight title through a unanimous decision victory. For Makhachev, this bout held importance because the Dagestani wrestler had announced that he wants to fight for the welterweight title next. And Maddalena beating Muhammad meant the only obstacle in his path, the close friendship of ‘Bully B’ and Islam’s mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, will not be compromised with a clash between Makhachev and Belal.
This led to Makhachev vacating his lightweight title, and Topuria’s wishes came true. Soon it was announced that at UFC 317, ‘El Matador’ will face off against Charles ‘Do Bronxs’ Oliveira for the lightweight gold. The former featherweight champion announced the fight on X with a warning for Oliveira, saying, “Charles [Oliveira] is a great fighter, no doubt, but I believe he’s past his prime. When I step in there, I’m going to take that belt and show everyone who the real lightweight king is. His wrestling isn’t what it used to be, and I’m ready to expose that.”
As exciting as it is, the move up of Topuria and Makhachev doesn’t sit right with everyone. One UFC legend believes the days of a champion defending his belt against all the contenders in his division first are over. While talking about both the move-ups, UFC Hall of Famer and former middleweight champion Michael Bisping wants us to see past the exciting two-division title bouts and reconsider our image of a true champion.
On his YouTube channel, ‘The Count’ explained, “At lightweight, Islam still has work to do. There’s Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje, Mateusz Gamrot, and Paddy Pimblett, for crying out loud. Everyone’s just jumping around. Stay in your weight class and defend against all of the contenders. That’s what people need to do. That’s what fighters used to do. That’s what Anderson Silva did. That’s what Georges St-Pierre did. That’s what Alexandre Pantoja is doing right now.”
While taking the example of Alexandre Pantoja, the flyweight champion with three straight title defenses in his reign, Bisping reminded us about the run of Georges St-Pierre as a champion and Anderson Silva‘s run as a champion. They fought the best in their weight class, garnered many title defenses, and have etched their names in the history of the UFC. But since the move-up of Makhachev and Topuria is official, we can only wish they’ll defend the titles more in their new quests.
January 18, 2025, Inglewood, California, USA: ISLAM MAKHACHEV 27-1-0 of Makhachkala, Russia defeats RENATO MOICANO 20-6-1 of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil by submission DÃââ Arce choke at 4:05 of round 1 during UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California Inglewood USA – ZUMAo117 20250118_zsp_o117_030 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
Bisping also highlights how Topuria got the chance to compete for the 155-pound belt after just one title defense at featherweight, as he KO’d Max Holloway in the fight and won the belt when he beat Alexander Volkanovski. However, there is some heat around Makhachev’s title vacation. The Dagestani phenom on a 15-fight win streak and 4 title defenses to show also had to vacate the title, but in very recent history, many champions on lesser defenses have moved up without vacating their current throne.
Did Islam Makhachev deserve the welterweight title shot as the lightweight champion?
The controversy around Makhachev’s reign as the lightweight title is in question when you think about his welterweight debut next. Was it necessary to relinquish the belt, considering he had almost cleared his division? Champions before him have fought for a title above theirs with fewer defenses. One example that comes to mind is of Israel Adesanya, who got the chance to be a double champion just after two title defenses, but he came up short against then-205-pound king Jan Blachowicz.
One prime example of this phenomenon exists as one of the greatest moments in UFC’s history. As Conor McGregor made history by becoming the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC, he was heading into the bout with zero title defenses to show for it. However, his stardom and the potential of the breakthrough of the moment made UFC not even question the transition even once. And it turned out really great for them.
So, what could be the reason behind Islam Makhachev’s title vacation? Could it be his stardom? He is a prolific name for the company. Many would argue the UFC’s new policy of withholding double-champion situations is the reason behind the issue. Once, Charles Oliveira’s manager, Diego Lima, predicted and emphasized the importance of maintaining division integrity, stating, “If Makhachev goes up? Then he loses the belt. It’s like [Ilia] Topuria. I think the UFC will ask him to choose.”
So what could be the case? There has been no official confirmation from the UFC’s side over the double-champion regulation so the only thing we can do is witness Islam Makhachev’s legendary career’s new chapter. Will he become the new welterweight champion? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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