5 reasons why Islam Makhachev should remain at lightweight for his next fight
This past weekend at UFC 302, Islam Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier to retain his lightweight title. So what is next for him?
After his win last weekend, Islam Makhachev called for a shot at the UFC welterweight title, but is this the right move for him, or should he stay at lightweight?
Attempting to become a simultaneous double champion is definitely alluring, but the truth is that Makhachev would probably be better off remaining at 155 pounds.
Here are five reasons why Islam Makhachev should remain at lightweight for his next fight.
#5. Islam Makhachev has unfinished business with Arman Tsarukyan
The idea that a fighter "needs" to move to another weight class in the UFC because they've cleaned out their division is rarely true. That's certainly the case for Islam Makhachev.
Sure, the current lightweight champ holds wins over Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, and former featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski, but that doesn't mean he's cleaned out his weight class.
There are plenty of other viable opponents for the Dagestani who remain at 155 pounds, including Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler, and Mateusz Gamrot.
However, one fighter stands above them all - No.1-ranked Arman Tsarukyan.
The Armenian has won nine of his last 10 fights, including wins over Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. More to the point, he has unfinished business with Makhachev.
The Dagestani defeated him in his promotional debut back in 2019, but the fight was surprisingly close, and it's arguable that nobody has pushed Makhachev as hard since.
More to the point, Tsarukyan reportedly turned down a shot at Makhachev earlier this year due to poor timing, which allowed Poirier to step in instead.
Essentially, it's clear that these two men have unfinished business, and so Islam Makhachev should stay at 155 pounds to settle that business before moving.
#4. Islam Makhachev would be jumping the queue at 170 pounds
While Islam Makhachev would clearly have no issue with jumping the queue for a title shot at 170 pounds, the UFC probably ought to think twice before allowing it to happen.
Friction is often caused when a champion from one weight class is allowed to move to another to challenge the titleholder there, and this would be the case here, too.
Makhachev would not only be causing a logjam at 155 pounds, but he'd also be leapfrogging a number of viable contenders at 170 pounds, too.
Why should Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is unbeaten at 18-0 and holds six wins in the octagon wait for Makhachev to take his shot? What about Jack Della Maddalena, who is also unbeaten in the octagon at 7-0 and just stopped Gilbert Burns?
Neither man deserves to wait behind a fighter who has never fought as a welterweight, regardless of his accomplishments at lightweight.
If there were no viable contenders at 170 pounds, then perhaps allowing Islam Makhachev to take his shot would make sense. Right now, though, this would not be the correct path for the UFC to pursue.
#3. Islam Makhachev might not be the same if he moves to 170 pounds and then has to return to 155 pounds
From Islam Makhachev's perspective, a move up to 170 pounds to challenge the welterweight champion might feel like a low-risk situation.
After all, it's unlikely that the UFC would want to strip him of his lightweight title and rob him of a chance to become the promotion's fifth simultaneous double champion.
If he were to lose, therefore, the Dagestani would probably believe he'd be safe to drop back to 155 pounds to continue his run as champion there. However, in reality, making this kind of move could be a huge risk to his career. One only has to look at his old rival Alexander Volkanovski to see why.
'Alexander the Great' was riding a lengthy win streak dating back to 2013 before he moved up from 145 pounds to challenge Makhachev last year.
While he rebounded to defend his featherweight crown against Yair Rodriguez after his first loss to the Dagestani, he wasn't so lucky the second time around. Volkanovski suffered a big knockout defeat to Makhachev in October and then lost his 145-pound title to Ilia Topuria in his return there four months later.
Based on this, should Makhachev lose in his attempt to claim gold at 170 pounds, there'd be absolutely no guarantee his career wouldn't suffer in the same way that Volkanovski's has.
Given that he stands on the cusp of history at 155 pounds, it's a risk he shouldn't be willing to take.
#2. Islam Makhachev does not match up well with Leon Edwards or Belal Muhammad
Given that most observers - Dana White apparently not included - see him as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev should probably fear nobody right now.
However, as the old adage goes, styles make fights, and the fact is that Makhachev doesn't really match well with either fighter who he could face for the welterweight title.
The next 170-pound title bout will see champ Leon Edwards defend against top contender Belal Muhammad. While 'Rocky' is probably the favorite, the bout could go either way.
Regardless, though, both men are far larger than Makhachev, who has never fought at 170 pounds before. They're also excellent strikers, particularly Edwards, who has outworked basically every opponent he's ever faced on the feet.
More to the point, though, 'Rocky' has fantastic takedown defense, to the point that powerful - and huge - wrestlers like Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington were unable to keep him down.
Muhammad, meanwhile, is a tremendous offensive wrestler who is more than capable of taking a smaller man down. He's also powerful in the clinch, which would make Makhachev's arsenal of trips and throws difficult to use.
Islam Makhachev is definitely capable of beating any opponent, but against either Edwards or Muhammad, he'd have to be considered a major underdog. In that sense, he'd be better off sticking around at lightweight for now at least.
#1. Islam Makhachev can make history by remaining at 155 pounds for one more fight
The biggest reason why Islam Makhachev should remain at lightweight for at least one more fight is the fact that he's sitting on the cusp of UFC history.
The Dagestani's win over Dustin Poirier this past weekend was his third successful title defense, tying a divisional record currently held by B.J. Penn, Benson Henderson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Given the merits of those three great fighters, as well as Makhachev, it's almost impossible to decide exactly who should be considered the greatest lightweight in UFC history.
However, if Makhachev could pull off a fourth successful title defense, there would no longer be a debate. Like Georges St-Pierre at welterweight or Jon Jones at light heavyweight, there'd be no question as to who the greatest would be.
More to the point, by surpassing the record of title defenses made by Khabib in particular, Makhachev would finally be able to step out of the substantial shadow of his mentor, something that seemed impossible at one point.
Sure, becoming a simultaneous double champ would be a huge achievement too, but that would only put him on level pegging with the other four fighters to do that.
To add to this, there'd be nothing to stop Islam Makhachev attempting to achieve that in the future. For now, though, with a record in sight, the Dagestani should stay at 155 pounds.