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Islam Makhachev plotting welterweight title charge in UFC return: ‘I’m hoping he will fight at Madison Square Garden’

Islam Makhachev eyes welterweight title fight in UFC return I want him to fight at Madison Square Garden Coach of Islam Makhachev, Javier Mendez lays out the 2024 plan for the reigning lightweight champion. After firmly closing…

Coach of Islam Makhachev, Javier Mendez lays out the 2024 plan for the reigning lightweight champion.

After firmly closing the Alexander Volkaovski chapter of his career thanks to a swift head kick, Islam Makhachev will look to continue to carve his championship legacy. However, with all of the top four ranked 155lbers all currently booked, it’s unclear who he will face on his return and considering his recently picked-up injury when exactly it will be.

Islam Makhachev backed for welterweight leap

Talking with Casino Alpha, head coach of American Kickboxing Academy, Mendez, laid out what he would like, which includes eventually moving up in an attempt to win the welterweight title.

“After Ramadan, I’m hoping the UFC will fight Islam at Madison Square Garden, only because it’s good for his marketability to fight in the U.S.,” Mendez said. “That’s what I’d like, but right now there’s no fight on the horizon for him just yet. I’m sure soon the UFC will announce a return for him, but just not yet.

“Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and then the welterweight title. They would be my three next fights for Islam. I’d like to see Islam become the welterweight world champion in 2025. I’d love to see that, and I know he would too. If we get two fights this year, who knows, you might see the UFC offer him a title shot sooner.”

Makhachev is also currently ranked the UFC’s No.1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter and shows no sign of slowing doing. In fact, the 32-year-old has ended six of his last seven fights inside the distance.

Whether it be a Oliveira or Tsarukyan rematch, or veteran slugger Gaethje next, Makhachev could see his hands full with all presenting their own threats but Makhachev will likely enter a heavy favourite into all three matches. It will be the move up to 170lbs that will the biggest risk of his career and where Makhachev could really cement himself in the history of the sport.

Do you think Islam Makhachev can win the UFC welterweight title?

UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev confirms summer 2024 return: ‘I have to defend my belt’

Islam Makhachev is eyeing a return to the Octagon in the summer of 2024. The reigning UFC lightweight world…

Islam Makhachev is eyeing a return to the Octagon in the summer of 2024.

The reigning UFC lightweight world champion was last seen in October scoring his second-straight victory over featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. Effectively closing out his rivalry with ‘The Great,’ Makhachev is ready for a fresh matchup at 155.

Speaking with MMA Squad, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ revealed that his next fight is being targeted for June or July of this year.

“June/July I have next fight,” Makhachev said I did just one training every day, nothing like hard. But I’m still training everyday because I am a champion, I have to defend my belt, I have to be ready.”

Makhachev was originally scheduled to run it back with his UFC 280 opponent — Charles Oliveira — last year in Abu Dhabi, but ‘Do Bronx’ sustained a cut while training, forcing him out of the contest. Volkanovski stepped in on 11 days’ notice and suffered the consequences via a first-round KO.

With Oliveira competing against Arman Tsarukyan in a lightweight title eliminator at UFC 300, Justin Gaethje has emerged as the favorite to face Makhachev for the 155-pound crown next.

Gaethje will also be in action at the promotion’s next big landmark event on April 13, defending his BMF title against former world champion Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway. Whether ‘The Highlight’ wins or loses, it will likely not affect his status as the next man in line for Makhachev, but as they say in MMA — anything can happen.

Alexander Volkanovski plots lightweight return after UFC 298 despite title losses: ‘It’s definitely in the near future’

Undisputed featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski claims a lightweight return is defintiely something he plots in the immediate future –…

Undisputed featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski claims a lightweight return is defintiely something he plots in the immediate future – despite suffering losses in his first two charges for the undisputed gold at 155 pounds last year.

Volkanovski, the current undisputed featherweight champion, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 294 back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, UAE on short-notice.

Suffering his second attempt to dislodge pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev from his lightweight perch, Volkanovski was stopped with a stunning opening round high-kick and strikes KO loss to the Russian in the pair’s rematch.

And booking a quickfire comeback later this month at UFC 298 in Anaheim, Volkanovski takes on the surging, unbeaten featherweight challenger, Ilia Topuria – attempting to retain his featherweight crown as part of a dominant reign.

Alexander Volkanovski plans lightweight future

However, despite the fact a clear path to a lightweight title siege for a third time seems more than cloudy for New South Wales native, Volkanovski, the incoming headlining starts still has plans for a continued future a division higher.

“Definitely not (finished at lightweight},” Alexander Volkanovski told assembled media during a press event ahead of UFC 298 in Sydney. “Obviously straight after – I’m a realist. I’m not expecting a rematch straight away. Everyone’s going to see that. They’re going to be like, ‘The age thing’ and all that. There’s going tobe some people doubting, ‘Is his time done?’ – which is hyping up this fight, so I’m all good with it.”

“But, everybody’s going to be reminded, and everybody is going to be switching a full 180 (degrees) saying there’s nobody left for me at 145, and they want me to go take that lightweight belt. That’s what I plan on doing. I’m going to go out there, take care of Ilia (Topuria) and we’ll see what’s next, but lightweight definitely in the near future.”

Do you think Alexander Volkanovski can ever land lightweight spoils?

Alexander Volkanovski plots lightweight return after UFC 298 despite title losses: ‘It’s definitely in the near future’

Undisputed featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski claims a lightweight return is defintiely something he plots in the immediate future –…

Volkanovski, the current undisputed featherweight champion, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 294 back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, UAE on short-notice.

Alexander Volkanovski plans lightweight future

Do you think Alexander Volkanovski can ever land lightweight spoils?

Justin Gaethje laments missed title fight with UFC rival Islam Makhachev: ‘I don’t know what’s going on’

A fight with Max Holloway was not Justin Gaethje’s first choice for his return to the Octagon at UFC…

A fight with Max Holloway was not Justin Gaethje’s first choice for his return to the Octagon at UFC 300.

Earlier this month, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that ‘The Highlight’ would put his BMF title on the line against the former featherweight champion. The announcement came with a lot of fanfare, but it admittedly left Gaethje a little disappointed considering everyone, himself included, believed his next fight would be for lightweight gold.

“It’s always funny how it works out,” Gaethje said in an interview with Kevin Iole. “You always think it’s going to go one way, and you can never guess what’s going to happen with the UFC. Once the Oliveira and Tsarukyan fight got announced, I was really confident that I was going to get the Makhachev fight, because I figured, obviously, there is nobody else to fight him. … I don’t know what’s going on. Some injury or something, but he’s not going to fight till June or July, I guess.

“I was under the impression that if not for sure a title eliminator, that the fight with Dustin Poirier was as much a title eliminator as this Tsarukyan and Oliveira fight is. Now, me fighting on the same card as those guys, I’m going to be obviously above them, all four of us – you know, me, Max, Tsaruykan, Oliveira, we all got a chance to stand out” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Though he’s fighting someone outside of the lightweight division, a loss for Gaethje could potentially derail his claim as the next man in line for Islam Makhachev. But instead of looking at it as a negative, ‘The Highlight’ is embracing the opportunity to stand out among some of the best fighters on the planet and re-solidifying his status as the most deserving contender.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Gaethje continued. “I think it’s second-best obviously if they lined me up with Makhachev – that’s the best-case scenario. Second best scenario is I get to fight for it, and that’s the scenario I’m in. I get to go in there, I get to stand out. There’s going to be two contenders coming out that night. So, we’ll see what happens after that.”

Max Holloway was a UFC champion by the time Justin Gaethje made his UFC debut (July 7, 2017). Holloway had 17 UFC fights under his belt at that time.

Holloway is 3 years younger than Gaethje. #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/TdCLlz7oKV

— Ovin Vithanage (@OvinVithanage) January 26, 2024

Justin Gaethje Talked His Fight with Max Holloway ‘Into Existence’

Justin Gaethje has nothing, but respect for Max Holloway. It is for that reason that he never wanted to find himself in a position where he had to repeatedly punch ‘Blessed’ in the face. Unfortunately, the fight game can be cruel like that sometimes.

Well, unless you’re Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili. Then you just switch divisions.

“I kind of talked this into existence on accident,” Gaethje said. “I said, ‘I didn’t want to punch Max Holloway, but he’s also a guy that could fight for a BMF belt.’ That turns out into going to be having to punch Max Holloway. It’s the name of the game, and I am the best in the world at creating damage.

“The last two fights, I have been very tactical and very, very, very methodical in my approach. I think that obviously I’m going to continue to do that, and if I can do that, then it’s going to be very hard for Max to overwhelm me and put me in positions where I shouldn’t be.”

UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev is giving Sean O’Malley nightmares: ‘Thank God that wasn’t real’

Reigning UFC lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev is so good, he’s giving his fellow fighters nightmares. At least, that’s…

Reigning UFC lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev is so good, he’s giving his fellow fighters nightmares.

At least, that’s the case for Sean O’Malley, the promotion’s current bantamweight titleholder. During a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow podcast with his coach and friend Tim Welch, ‘Sugar’ revealed that the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ had recently invaded his dreams.

“I’d say Islam, Islam’s so f*cking scary,” O’Malley said. “I had a nightmare that I had to fight him, I woke up and I was- ‘Oh God, thank God that wasn’t real ’cause I’d knock that motherf*cker out!’”

O’Malley quickly changed his tune, admitting that he was relieved upon waking up.

“No, I actually woke up and was like ‘Oh f*ck that,’” O’Malley said. “I thought I was going to walk out and fight Islam.”

Sean O’Malley is currently gearing up for his first defense of the 135-pound title at UFC 299 on March 9. ‘Sugar’ will run it back with the first and only man to defeat him inside the Octagon, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, when the promotion returns to Miami, Florida.

As for Islam Makhachev, the lightweight sensation is coming off back-to-back wins over featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski. Makhachev bested ‘The Great’ in a Fight of the Year contender at UFC 284 last February, escaping with a closely contested decision. The two ran it back when Volkanovski stepped in on 11 days’ notice at UFC 294 after Makhachev’s original opponent, Charles Oliveira, withdrew due to injury. This time around, Makhachev finished Volkanovski via a first-round KO.

“He’s so well-rounded, he’s skilled as f*ck,” O’Malley added. “I’d say Islam’s probably like that next f*cking level.”