A former UFC champion has now gone on record stating that the rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan should be held before the end of 2024. While Makhachev secured a dominant win over Dustin Poirier to cement his authority over the division Tsarukyan defeated Charles Oliveira to secure his spot as the number-one contender. Moreover, reports have stated that the Dagestani wants to defend his belt one more time before this year ends.
In light of such a situation, a UFC fan took to social media aiming a question at former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. The fans asked Sterling what he thought was one fight the UFC had to arrange before the end of 2024. To this, the former champion replied saying,
“Islam vs Arman 2.”
Islam vs Arman 2. https://t.co/9LlIU283iE
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) July 9, 2024
At this point, the UFC has main event slots filled for most of the cards in the second half of 2024. However, the PPV card in October which takes place in Abu Dhabi does not have a main event yet. Hence, from the looks of it, Makhachev might get an opportunity to step into the octagon at UFC 308.
Moreover, after his title defense, the Dagestani made it clear that he wanted to challenge for the 170-pound title and become a two-weight world champion. However, Dana White did not seem very enthusiastic about that idea. Therefore in all likelihood, Makhachev’s next fight will be against Tsarukyan with Edwards possibly after that if he secures a win.
A closer look at a rematch five years in the making
Tsarukyan was put to the test in his very first fight in the UFC. He was matched up against Makhachev, and although he lost the bout, Tsarukyan did give the Dagestani his toughest fight to date. A few years on, both Makhachev and Tsarukyan have improved massively in their overall game. However, the Dagestani’s improvement has been way more exponential.
The lightweight champion is the better wrestler without a doubt. On top of it, he has worked on his striking leaps and bounds which was on full display against Volkanovski as well as Poirier. Hence, initial signs indicate that the rematch might be a repeat of their first fight.
