It seems we may have a curveball set for International Fight Week. Islam Makhachev is headlining UFC 317, but against a surprising opponent.
There were speculations that the lightweight king would miss the June card to make a potential welterweight title excursion. This was rumored to come after the conclusion of UFC 315’s Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena fight, and hinged on its result.
Meanwhile, former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria had been pushing for the 155 lbs title fight for this sophomore lightweight outing. The Spaniard has even claimed that he was already in camp.
However, according to this UFC analyst, neither fighter is getting what they want. Snubs are of the order, and even Arman Tsarukyan is not spared.
“I have been informed that Islam Makhachev will defend his championship against Justin Gaethje,” Chael Sonnen, co-host of ESPN’s Good Guy/Bad Guy show, said on his Instagram page.
The lightweight division had been heading into a standstill after both Topuria and former champion Charles Oliveira refused to entertain any fight that wasn’t for the title. Then there was Tsarukyan, the original #1 contender for Islam’s title.
Tsarukyan has returned from a back injury that had forced him out of the title bout at UFC 311 earlier this year. Sonnen claims that Arman has been awfully quiet despite a return to training.
Sonnen speculates this is possibly because UFC boss Dana White has made it clear to Tsarukyan that he would need to get to the back of the line. And despite his unbeaten status and historical knockouts of legends like Max Holloway and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, Sonnen claims Topuria is a rookie in the 155 lbs shark tank.
This is why Sonnen claims Gaethje has been fortunate enough to benefit from the timing of all this chaos. He then touched upon Paddy Pimblett’s status as well.
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“Paddy is the next best thing, but he needs one more. You’re left with Justin Gaethje. All of that is accurate. If the source, who has never been wrong yet, to me, is right,” added the former middleweight contender.
However, Sonnen’s claims contradict reports this week, which claimed that Topuria was all but rubber-stamped to fight for a lightweight belt in some form at UFC 317.
Who is Topuria in camp for?
Earlier this week, Topuria sent fans into raptures regarding his return by claiming a fight camp had begun ahead of his comeback to the Octagon later this summer.
And while yet to nail down a grudge fight with Makhachev, the Spaniard has also been tied to another pairing: ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira.
It is believed that if Maddalena defeats Belal next month, Islam would drop the 155 lbs belt for the lesser mortals to fight over.
“As discussed on the show today, Ilia is going to fight on June 28. The question is, will it be against Islam for the 155 belt. Or will it be against Charles for the vacant?” MMA scribe Ariel Helwani tweeted.
“We should know soon. But he should 100% be on there and he should 100% fight for gold,” the journalist had said.
And it would seem Oliveira fits into that narrative regardless. The Brazilian has also reportedly started a fight camp in preparation.
However, it should be noted that unless White addresses these subjects on his next Instagram live video, they will continue to remain rumors that should be looked at with a pinch of salt, if not outrightly dismissed.
