“I have no real challengers left in my division. I think they have to give me a shot at a second belt because I’ve already beaten everyone,” said Islam Makhachev, making his case to the UFC’s top brass. The Dagestani champion has one dream—to claim a second title before bidding farewell to the sport and passing the torch to Usman Nurmagomedov. But the question remains: When will the UFC CEO grant Makhachev the golden opportunity to chase two-division glory? With Belal Muhammad at the driving seat of the welterweight division, Makhachev’s hands are tied, but that doesn’t mean that he will not pitch for a second title. Amidst the chaos, Demetrious Johnson has come forward to reveal his thoughts on Team Khabib.
While having a conversation with ‘Submission Radio,’ Demetrious Johnson expressed his thoughts on Islam Makhachev’s calls for the second belt. According to the flyweight GOAT, the Dagestani does deserve his second belt, and the UFC should give him a chance to redeem if provided that Jack Della Maddalena navigates his way against the champ Belal Muhammad, “I would put Islam Makhachev on ice and see what happens in this 170-pound division with Jack Della Maddalena vs. Belal Muhammad. If Jack is able to get past Belal Muhammad, I think you give Islam Makhachev the chance to go up and become a double champ.”
He further added, “I know Dana White said he doesn’t want to have to do this again, but when you look at the 155-pound division, Islam has pretty much cleared that out, and he’s waiting for a new contender. You fight against Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, you also have the newcomer Ilia Topuria. So I would like to see Islam get the opportunity to fight for that 170-pound belt.”
As of 2025, Islam Makhachev has the record of most title defenses as well as the most wins within the lightweight division. These statistics alone make him a worthy contender for a dual weight champion, but it appears that Dana White wants more from the Dagestani. However, it must be noted that Makhachev’s time is running out. Why? Well, that’s due to the fact that Usman Nurmagomedov is waiting.
When asked about when he will make his debut under the Dana White-led promotion, the Bellator champ stated, “I think if we get it right, we’ll be fighting in the UFC at 28. I’m 26 years old right now, in two years I’ll get stronger and that’s it. Go into the UFC at 28 and compete until I’m 32.” With the sands of time slipping away from the hands of Islam Makhachev, the UFC CEO might have to fast-forward his fights before Team Khabib chooses its opponent.
Interestingly, the lightweight division is undergoing a transformation, especially with Ilia Topuria skipping the division and now clashing with both Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.
Verbal warfare heats up between Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, and Ilia Topuria
“[…] So for him [Charles] to say he’s the king and I’m the clown, if these were different times, I would have invaded his favela on horseback and killed anyone who is not fit to work, but we’re in new times, so I’ll just kick his a–” said Ilia Topuria as he drags Charles Oliveira to the no-comeback zone in his attempt to banter with the dormer lightweight champ. Why did the Spanish-Georgian say so? Well, that’s due to the fact that ‘D Bronx’ refused to clash against the soon-to-be-former featherweight champion.
When Chael Sonnen asked the former lightweight champion about the hubbub, he stated, “Topuria, he wants to find his replacement in another weight class, but I really want number one, and I really want to fight for the title. That’s what is fair, and I’m ready for him on fight week.” He further added, “I have already passed all these on the UFC. [There are] a lot of rumors all over around, but at the end of the day, they’re gonna decide what they want to do, right? The right thing to do is Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev because I’m number one. I’m just waiting for the call, just let me know the date and the time and I’ll be ready.”
Charles Oliveira made it clear that he will clash only against the lightweight champion for his next fight. Amidst this chaos, when one of the fans asked the UFC CEO Dana White about the fate of Ilia Topuria at the recent live stream, the CEO stated, “We will announce his fight when he is ready.” So, is Topuria not ready for the fight, or has the UFC yet to choose an opponent for him? That’s the question floating around after his confession.
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