Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan rematch is the only fight that makes sense in the lightweight division at the moment. The champ is running out of opponents to defend his belt against. After all, he keeps defeating everyone.
However, this specific fight has some history behind it with the pair facing off previously, early in their UFC careers as untested fighters. Tsarukyan claims that the win was a fluke and that he has grown into a very different fighter now and is ready to dethrone the champion.
The pair has been in talks about the fight for quite some time now. However, with the champ recovering from an injury, the date and location for the fight were never finalized.
According to MMA insider Manouk Akopyan, the UFC has finally set the date. He posted a photo of a fight poster revealing the date and the location,
“I’m told the rematch between.. Islam Makhachev and No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan is being planned for UFC 311 on January 18. A location/venue under consideration is the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the Clippers’ new $2 billion arena.”
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It is a well-known fact that Islam Makhachev will not be returning to action in 2024. So, the UFC 311 date of 18 January works well for the champ.
The champ will be eager to get this title defense out of the way because it will open up bigger opportunities for him such as moving up in weight.
Speaking of moving up in weight, he isn’t the only fighter that has such aspirations. Ilia Topuria seems eager to challenge the lightweight champion and Alexander Volkanvoski doesn’t see it as too outlandish.
Alexander Volkanovski predicts Islam Makhachev vs. Topuria
Ilia Topuria has made his intentions of becoming a two-weight champion very clear. It is an aspiration that Islam Makhachev himself has.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, the podcast host asked Volkanovski if Topuria could KO Makhachev. Here’s what ‘The Great’ said about that potential fight,
“he can knock anyone out in them two divisions(145 & 155)….Going out there and actually beating Islam or even submitting and controlling him, I think that’s very unlikely”
Although he possesses the KO power to finish Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski does not see that happening if they end up fighting.
He believes the Dagestani fighter would be too dominant on the ground for the Spaniard to handle. ‘Volk’ knows firsthand what it is like to go up in weight and take on Makhachev, so there is no better authority to answer this question.
