Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA). He last stepped into the Octagon in February of this year at UFC 284.
Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA). He last stepped into the Octagon in February of this year at UFC 284. When he met and defeated Alexander Volkanovski (26-2 MMA) via unanimous decision. He is set to make his next title defense on Saturday, October 21st, at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. But the question remains as to who will be Makhachev’s opponent.
Charles Oliveira (34-9 MMA) is coming off a recent TKO victory over Beneil Dariush (22-5 MMA) in June of this year at UFC 289. Unfortunately ‘Do Bronx’ is advising he won’t be ready in time for UFC 294.
Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje 2 is the main event taking place on Saturday, July 29th, at UFC 291. The ‘BMF’ title is on the line for Gaethje (24-4 MMA) and Poirier (29-7 MMA) in the lightweight bout. It is doubtful either would make the turnaround to be able to fight again in October.
Daniel thinks that Islam Makhachev’s next fight will be against someone that is not even necessarily on the radar. It is supposed to be the winner of Gaethje vs Poirier. But he does not believe that those guys will come out of that fight clean and be healthy enough to put a title fight right after their fight.
Daniel also mentioned that he knows that Charles Oliveira has already told the UFC that he is not ready to fight in October. Thus they will have to go down the lightweight rankings and find some other guys. But one thing is sure people are going to be disappointed if Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhchev don’t fight. It will be the ranked 4, 5, or 6 getting the title shot because there is no one else at the moment to fill in the spot.
The lightweight division is stacked with talent, but it appears that some of the top contenders are not available for a fight in October. Charles Oliveira has already ruled himself out. It’s unlikely that the winner of Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 will be ready for a quick turnaround.
This leaves Makhachev with limited options. Cormier believes that the UFC may have to go down the rankings to find a suitable opponent. This could mean that a lower-ranked fighter in the division gets a shot at the title. This may disappoint some fans who were hoping for a more high-profile matchup.
Despite Makhachev’s callout of Leon Edwards. Cormier doesn’t think the UFC will allow him to skip the line and jump into a title super-fight without defending the championship first. So, it remains to be seen who will step up to challenge the dominant lightweight champion.
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