Islam Makhachev without wasting any time and effort is clear about what he is hoping to take on next. Just after the UFC 296 event, Makahchev called out Leon Edwards who defeated Covington in the bout. Since then, there have been a lot of speculations about Makahchev’s potential fight against Edwards. During the ongoing speculations, Sean O’Malley took to X (FKA Twitter) and predicted the result of the bout between Edwards and Makhachev. The Dagestani was quick to react to the same and responded with a somewhat similar tweet.
‘Sugar’ shared how Edwards would defeat Makhachev and this didn’t sit well with the current lightweight champion Makhachev. He took a moment to fire back at him on the same platform by predicting a fight result in O’Malley’s matchup against Khabib’s younger cousin Umar Nurmagomedov. He wrote,
“Umar beats Suga”
Umar beats Suga
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) December 24, 2023
However, Makhachev’s choice of matchup rests on the fact that both ‘Sugar’ and Umar fight in the bantamweight division. The bout isn’t anywhere close in the making right now. But, the current bantamweight champion can potentially lock horns with Umar who is #14 in the same division soon.
Moreover, even Makhachev has shown his desire to move up the division and carve his niche in the welterweight division.
Is Islam Makhachev moving up the division?
Makhachev has been consistently showing his interest when it comes to moving up to another division. Even before the UFC 296 event took place, Makhachev expressed his desire to take on the winner of Edwards vs. Covington.
But, as the victory was claimed by ‘Rocky’ by retaining his welterweight title, Makhachev shared his take on who he needs to take on next. He further expressed how the welterweight champion needs to change teasing his move in the division. He said,
“Leon has to be next, and also, this fight [Edwards vs. Colby Covington] was bullsh*t, man. We have to change the champion.”
️ Islam Makhachev: “Leon [Edwards] has to be next, this fight [Edwards vs. Covington] was bullsh*t, you have to change the champion.”#UFC296 #UFC #MMA
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) December 17, 2023
Even though nothing as of now has been officially confirmed but Makahchev’s move to the welterweight division will stand out for his legacy. His actions will further outweigh the already established legacy of ‘The Eagle’ who only competed in the lightweight division.
As we come closer to the end of this year, the excitement and thrill remain the same. As much as UFC fighters love taking shots at each other, mere challenging doesn’t decide the result. The final call always remains with the UFC; therefore, fans are advised to remain patient and wait for the best.
