Khabib Nurmagomedov has cleared up the situation atop the lightweight division, insisting that Islam Makhachev will not move up to challenge Belal Muhammad for the welterweight belt.
In February, Ilia Topuria vacated the featherweight title with the aim of challenging 155lb champion Makhachev, although the latter’s desire to fight at 170lb is well known.
A barrier to Makhachev moving up, however, is the fact that his friend Muhammad holds the welterweight title. Rumours spread in recent months that Muhammad had fallen out with teammate Makhachev and coach Nurmagomedov, but that has been denied by both sides.
“Islam wants to fight at 170lb, but we can’t go up there because Belal is the champion,” Nurmagomedov told Adam Zubayraev on Tuesday (15 April). “[He] is very close to us.
“We can’t exchange our relationships for belts, that’s not the way we are. Those who offer us this [fight] just don’t look at things the way we do. We have different views in this case.”
However, Muhammad is scheduled to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena in May, and a loss for the champion could enable Makhachev to vie for welterweight gold after all.
“If Della Maddalena was the champion, Islam would fight him for sure,” Nurmagomedov said. “As far as I see it, the UFC are waiting for the event in May, where Belal and Maddalena are set to fight each other.
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“I really want, with all my heart, Belal to win. But if Maddalena wins, I think the UFC may offer Islam this fight for the title at 170lb.”
While Makhachev is therefore waiting on Muhammad vs Della Maddalena, Topuria is waiting on Makhachev.
Topuria recently said the UFC promised him a lightweight title shot in his next fight, so if Makhachev moves up to welterweight, Topuria could challenge for a vacant belt.
On that note, Saturday (12 April) saw Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes clash over the title vacated by Topuria, with Volkanovski winning on points.
That result in the UFC 314 main event meant Volkanovski became a two-time champion, after his first reign was ended by Topuria in February 2024.
Meanwhile, Makhachev has held the lightweight strap since 2022, securing a record four straight title defences since then. The Russian is a mentee and childhood friend of Khabib, who also reigned as UFC lightweight champion before retiring in 2020.
