The outcome of Saturday’s UFC 315 event will determine many things. Regardless, Islam Makhachev will remain the UFC’s lightweight champion. Most MMA fans have penciled in future matchups, depending on the outcome of the Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena fight. For the Dagestan fighter, vacating the belt will not enter his mind either way.
In a post shared on X, Makhachev stated that stepping down as the LW champion wouldn’t be possible. This is after some criticized the Russian for not defending his belt a supposed requisite number of times.
Makhachev’s last fight was in January of this year against Renato Moicano. He also fought off Dustin Poirier in June of 2024. Both fights ended in a submission. The earlier bout from UFC 311 was supposed to be a rematch, as the original event was slated to be Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2. Moicano stepped in on a day’s notice.
While not Makhachev’s fault, some are holding that against him. In reality, there haven’t been enough legitimate contenders within the division who have a strong case for earning the chance to take the belt away from him.
The first fight against Alexander Volkanovski was close, but the second affair didn’t leave too much enthusiasm for a trilogy to be scheduled soon. Makhachev already defeated Dan Hooker and Charles Oliveira. Knowing how the Aussie was dealt with, giving Max Holloway or Justin Gaethje a shot doesn’t build too much enthusiasm either.
One of the more intriguing options is Ilia Topuria. Certainly, that would be a megafight. The issue is that another person would come up who hasn’t proven themselves in the division. As Khabib Nurmagomedov has mentioned, it’s a fight that offers Makhachev nothing to gain.
Looking for a new challenge, the current best option appears to be moving up in weight class. Although Nurmagomedov has dismissed the possibility of Makhachev taking on Belal Muhammad, if the 33-year-old wants to become a double champ, it may be a tough pill that he will be forced to swallow and overlook their friendship aspect.
Even if Della Maddalena wins the title at the Bell Centre in Montreal, it wouldn’t take too long for Muhammad to instantly become the number one contender again, if not immediately, depending on how the fight goes.
The fact is that Makhachev could have things fall his way, and he’s allowed to avoid a fight with his training partner and someone he deeply respects. Most likely, he will have to make a tough decision either way. He’ll either have to take on a promising, emerging star in Topuria in a fight where all of the downside would be working against him, or be willing to step into the octagon as opponents against his friend.
Jon Jones is the main reason Dana White did not remove the lightweight champion’s belt. In terms of holding up the division and not allowing someone who has earned the chance to take the title, Tom Aspinall deserves more than any potential LW challengers. It may not be what UFC fans want right now, but the ‘Islam Makhachev legacy’ is far from being tarnished anytime soon.
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