It’s looking more likely that Islam Makhachev will be granted his wish.
The UFC Welterweight Champion has already made it clear who he will be facing in his first defense of the title.
It has been said that the UFC’s offer to Makhachev for him to fight in January was turned down by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who doesn’t want their team to have multiple big fights on the same night.
After being dominant at lightweight, the Russian’s move up a weight class has opened up several interesting matchups that could be next for him.
While fans voted for Ilia Topuria to be Makhachev’s next challenger, some of the other popular choices have seemingly been removed from the race.
Arman Tsarukyan accidentally lets slip why he pulled out against Islam Makhachev
Who’s the biggest threat to Islam Makhachev at welterweight?
UFC’s welterweight rankings:
#1 – Jack Della Maddalena
#2 – Ian Machado Garry
#3 – Shavkat Rakhmonov
#4 – Michael Morales
#5 – Belal Muhammad
#6 – Carlos Prates
#7 – Sean Brady
#8 – Kamaru Usman
#9 – Leon Edwards
#10 – Joaquin Buckley
Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
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Michael Morales says he’s had conversations about fighting Jack Della Maddalena in June
Kamaru Usman has been named as the opponent that Islam Makhachev wants to face for his first welterweight title defense.
The champion’s manager claimed that when the UFC reached out about him potentially fighting in January, it was Usman and Ian Machado Garry whose names were…
2025-12-13 00:30:00
