UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev successfully defended his division title in a thrilling five-round battle opposite featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski at the UFC 284 pay-per-view (PPV) earlier this month in Perth, and is now expected to resume his duties in the 155-pound weight class against the next worthy opponent.
Beneil Dariush seemed like the perfect candidate, based on his Top 5 ranking and eight-fight win streak, but the Californian is getting the Leon Edwards treatment and will be forced to fight every lightweight who ever lived to prove he’s worthy of a crack at the crown, which is why he’s currently paired with former champion Charles Oliveira.
That led Makhachev to issue an open challenge and No. 2-ranked Dustin Poirier was quick to respond, despite coming up short in two previous title shots.
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Fans tried to tarnish “The Diamond” but Poirier wasn’t having it.
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What about that talk of a Makhachev-Volkanovski rematch?
“Islam’s got work to do in his own weight class and so does Alexander Volkanovski,” UFC analyst and former champion Daniel Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC” (transcribed by Farah Hannoun). “Volkanovski owes it to Yair Rodriguez to go and give him an opportunity to try to become the undisputed champion of the world. And I don’t know if it’s fair to Beneil Dariush if he beats Charles Oliveira to not get his chance to fight for the lightweight championship of the world. This is the danger in superfights: You get a close superfight, (and) people are clamoring to see it again. When, in reality, we have two divisions that need the champions back in order to really give us a little clarity.”
UFC matchmakers have some big decisions to make over the next few weeks.