Islam Makhachev's manager breaks silence on rumored welterweight move tied to Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena outcome
Rumors are circulating that Islam Makhachev plans to move up to welterweight in pursuit of a second belt. However, that move depends on the outcome of the upcoming 170-pound title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, weighed in on the rumors and shut them down.
Makhachev and Muhammad share a close relationship and are often seen training together. They also share the same manager, Abdelaziz. The Dagestani star has expressed his desire to become a double champion and has stated he won’t leave the sport without achieving that goal. However, he has also made it clear that he won’t fight his friend, the current welterweight kingpin, to become the 170-pound champion.
Muhammad also shared that he would never fight Makhachev and emphasized that he plans to move up after a couple of title defenses so the Russian star can compete for the welterweight title.
With ‘Remember The Name’ scheduled to defend his title against Della Maddalena at UFC 315 next month in Canada, rumors began circulating that Makhachev was planning to move up in weight if the American-born champion loses the title to the Australian.
Home of Fight posted the ongoing rumor on X, to which Abdelaziz responded by shutting it down, writing:
“Fake News.”
Check out Ali Abdelaziz's X post below:
Abdelaziz's response indicates that Makhachev's next fight will likely be another defense of his lightweight belt, with Charles Oliviera, Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria, and Arman Tsarukyan all in the running.
John McCarthy names Islam Makhachev's toughest matchup at welterweight
It’s clear that, at some point, Islam Makhachev will move up to the welterweight division. Recently, John McCarthy, speaking on the Weighing In podcast, named No.1-ranked Sean Brady as the toughest matchup for the lightweight champion at 170 pounds. McCarthy also emphasized that Makhachev would have to work harder for takedowns against Brady than he usually does.
The former MMA referee said:
"Islam Makhachev is so good. I still don’t think people actually give him the credits he deserves… But, if you ask me, ‘Who’s a hard matchup for him [at welterweight]?’ It would be Sean Brady."
He continued:
"[Makhachev is] going to have to work for a takedown. It’s not going to come easy. Even the things like foot sweeps that he’s really good with, and things like that, are not gonna come easy against someone like Brady. If he gets Brady down, Brady’s not gonna fall into the arm triangles and things Islam loves to go to."
Check out John McCarthy’s comments below (01:04:57):