"He had no plans to vacate it" - Umar Nurmagomedov shares Islam Makhachev's dream to defend lightweight belt while chasing welterweight gold
Islam Makhachev's teammate, Umar Nurmagomedov, has revealed that Makhachev did not intend to vacate his UFC lightweight championship in pursuit of welterweight gold. He originally wanted to hold the 155 and 170-pound UFC titles simultaneously.
Earlier this year, Makhachev's move was confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White, who also stated that the pound-for-pound king will make his welterweight debut against newly minted kingpin Jack Della Maddalena later this year.
Makhachev's lightweight strap will be up for grabs later this month at UFC 317 when Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria fight for the vacant throne.
However, Nurmagomedov recently told sports journalist Adam Zubayraev that the UFC wanted Makhachev to move up as they desire Topuria to be crowned as the new lightweight champion. However, the 33-year-old had no plans to vacate and still wants to fight at lightweight.
"They wanted Islam to move up. They want to make Topuria the champ at 155… Islam doesn't want to [vacate]. He had no plans to vacate it. He still wants to fight at 155, too." [h/t: Home of Fight on X]
Check out Umar Nurmagomedov's comments below:
A potential Makhachev vs. Topuria bout was in the charts. However, when Makhachev's friend and training partner Belal Muhammad was dethroned at UFC 315, the former pursued the move up, which was criticized by many in the MMA fandom who also accused him of ducking Topuria.
Makhachev vs. Topuria perhaps would have been a tougher matchup for the Georgian-Spaniard, who will now face Oliveira.
Islam Makhachev's manager gives update on welterweight debut
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Islam Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, revealed that his client is preparing for his welterweight debut and is hitting the gym twice. Abdelaziz also confirmed that Jack Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev will happen in 2025. He said:
"Whatever doesn't matter. October, November, December, but it's gonna be this year. 100%. I just talked to Islam. He just called me. He is on his way to the gym. He is training two times a day. He is getting ready... You're going to get two high-level athletes competing in the next 3-4 months."
Check out Ali Abdelaziz's comments about Islam Makhachev below (20:34):