Is there a crack in the brotherhood between Islam Makhachev and Belal Muhammad? During a recent interview with The Barstool Chicago podcast, Muhammad made it clear that no amount of dollars could persuade him to fight his buddy and training partner, Makhachev. He said, “I would never fight Islam [Makhachev]. That’s different. For me and him, it is. We’ve trained together.” But recent developments suggest something that might point towards a crack in the friendship between the UFC lightweight and welterweight champions.
“I don’t see a lot of work to do in my division, I beat almost everybody,” Islam Makhachev said to Ushatayka. “I am thinking about moving up to 170, and I can stay there. I don’t want to make any statements. We will see how the fight goes, I have not spoken to the UFC since my last fight, we need to sit and talk about these moments,” he continued. Muhammad had declared that he would never fight Makhachev, as stated above, and would move up after a couple of title defenses.
But then ‘Remember the Name’ sent the fans into a frenzy a month ago after allegedly unfollowing Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov on social media. As per MMA Pack, “Belal Muhammad has unfollowed Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam & Umar.” It’s no secret that Makhachev has hinted at a potential welterweight title run. So, did this plan by Makhachev spark the silent unfollow from Muhammad?
The reigning welterweight king is scheduled to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, and rumors began to circulate that Makhachev might move to welterweight if Muhammad loses his belt in his first title defense. However, Ali Abdelaziz slammed these rumors on X, saying, “fake news.”
Makhachev and Muhammad trained together at one point, and Khabib helped the Palestinian-American before his UFC 280 fight against Sean Brady and against Leon Edwards before UFC 304. Given the brotherhood that was on display, many questioned if Muhammad and Makhachev would fight each other.
However, in light of the recent scenario where ‘Remember the Name’ unfollowed the Russian UFC star, this unimaginable might become a reality—the duo who were once friends could possibly clash some time in the future. Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov dropped an update on Makhachev’s next fight.
Khabib Nurmagomedov gives updates on Islam Makhachev’s training and next possible fight
The lightweight division is swarming with elite fighters who are waiting for a chance to get to Makhachev’s throne. From Ilia Topuria to Justin Gaethje, the lightweight champion has a long list of contenders. Javier Mendez and Ali Abdelaziz declared that the Russian juggernaut would most likely fight Justin Gaethje in his next bout. Khabib, on the other hand, focused on training his team.
The UFC Hall of Famer and undefeated former lightweight champ shared a carousel of training pictures from the Sildi village. He wrote in the caption, “Gathering high in the mountains in the village of Sildi has begun,” followed by a thumbs-up emoji. But all this training for Makhachev is against whom? Is he going to battle Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 as the viral fan-made posters indicate? Or will he go up against the aforementioned Gaethje?
The answer might be “no,” to fighting Topuria, because Makhachev had declared that he was tired of giving chances to featherweight fighters. He said while speaking to Match TV, “If I beat him [Topuria], what will that do for me? Everyone will once again say that I beat a featherweight, but if people want to see him lose, then we can do it.”
However, Makhachev does want a second belt and the recent training in the Sildi mountains is the preparation for what’s to come. Do you think Makhachev can retain his dominance in his next fight? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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