UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev seemingly has a number of options for his next fight, yet nothing seems to be a lock.
Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) hasn’t competed since February, when he earned a unanimous decision win over featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in Australia. He’s expected to return to action Oct. 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, but no opponent has been confirmed at this time.
Just a few weeks ago, the obvious choice appeared to be a rematch with Charles Oliveira, whom Makhachev took the 155-pound belt from by submission at UFC 280 last October. “Do Bronx” put himself in position to run it back with a brilliant finish of Beneil Dariush in June, but then Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) recently revealed he would not be ready to fight Makhachev three months from now.
That opened the door for Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) to make his case for a rematch, and he did just that earlier this month when he returned to 145 pounds for a dominant defense over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290. Volkanovski underwent elbow surgery this week to repair a lingering issue but has made it clear he will be healthy and prepared for his shot at revenge against Makhachev at UFC 294, if given the opportunity.
In terms of other lightweight contenders, the UFC’s next major event, UFC 291 on July 29 in Salt Lake City, is headlined by a “BMF” title fight between former interim UFC champions Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. The winner of that fight will have a solid case for a title shot, but with expectations of a grueling contest, a quick turnaround for Abu Dhabi could be unreasonable.
With uncertainty around all potential pairings for a title defense, Makhachev took matters into his own hands Tuesday when he issued a callout to UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Dual-champ status is something Makhachev has vocalized pursuing at some point, but he felt he needed to establish his position as champion before doing so. However, given the situation, the callout of Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) shows he’s keen to expedite the timeline.
MMA Junkie spoke with one of Makhachev’s coaches, Javier Mendez of American Kickboxing Academy, to get his reaction to the callout of Edwards, the potential options for Makhachev in Abu Dhabi and how he would like to see everything unfold.
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