Justin Gaethje wants to get the next crack at reigning UFC 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev. That spot was originally planned for ex-lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira; however, “Do Bronx” was busted open in training and forced to withdraw from their UFC 294 rematch in Abu Dhabi.
Featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski stepped in to replace the Brazilian and got kicked into the phantom zone.
It’s unclear when Makhachev will make his Octagon return, but the promotion is working hard to stack the “insane” UFC 300 pay-per-view (PPV) lineup with as many big names as possible. That said, we still don’t know if UFC CEO Dana White will keep his word and book the resurgent Oliveira for a second time.
Either way, Makhachev is bringing more than just kicks.
I can do more than kicking, be careful https://t.co/yyCSbd7mVm
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) December 27, 2023
Makhachev (25-1) defeated Oliveira to win the lightweight title at UFC 280, then made two successful title defenses against Volkanovski. As for Gaethje (25-4), he fell short against “Do Bronx” at UFC 274 but rebounded against Rafael Fiziev (UFC 286) and Dustin Poirier (UFC 291) to put himself back into title contention.
UFC matchmakers have a tough decision to make.