Islam Makhachev will become a former lightweight champ after UFC 317 during International Fight Week next month. And to boot, the Russian’s arch-rival, Ilia Topuria, will fight for that belt in a showdown against soon-to-be common foe, Charles Oliveira, in a mouth-watering pairing.
The Dagestani lightweight champ will leave his 155lbs crown behind to make a move up to welterweight. This was as per the UFC’s stipulations for fighters looking to score a title in a second weight class.
Now it is not clear whether it was a voluntary move from Islam. Certainly, the UFC’s ‘strict’ stance made his call to vacate the lightweight crown practically predestined.
However, Makhachev has been urged to think twice about his plans for further building his legacy by ex-UFC fighter Alan Jouban. “They want to see what’s the biggest fight that I can make,” he told ESPN.
“What could make my legacy to be on that list of around Mount Rushmore? And you look at the guys on Mount Rushmore. You look at Jon Jones, 13 title adventures, Demetrious Johnson, 11 title defenses, so on and so on,” elaborated Jouban.
“He [Islam] needs more title defenses in my opinion,” Jouban added. “Islam Makhachev, if he would stay in the division, and then he would be a guy that would maybe be on that Mount Rushmore, clean it out.”
However, Jones has been a champion for over 800 days with only one title defense to his name. So, calls for him to be stripped of the belt are also growing louder.
Jones urged to retire
Fighting just twice after his move into heavyweight, Jones seems to have done everything in his power to avoid a fight with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Jones is yet to schedule his return this year, despite claims from Dana White that the Rochester native would “100%” compete in 2025.
Jones continues to come under fire as he posts videos laughing off the critics, claiming he wasn’t ducking anyone since he was already living his best life.
In comparison, Makhachev has been active as champion. Needless to say, Islam has found supporters within the UFC who believe he was being unjustly treated and should have been given a chance to win the double championship.
Even lightweight title hopeful Paddy Pimblett has gone to bat for Makhachev, somewhat surprisingly. He has also suggested that Jones must be stripped of his heavyweight crown.
“If you’re making Islam vacate, [Jon] Jones needs to be stripped. If you’re making Islam vacate after 4 defenses, fighting people on short notice, you should let him try and be double champ,” said Pimblett during an interview with TNT Sports.
Fans and the MMA fraternity alike have started to realize that the UFC has been lenient with Jones while keeping the other fighters, including stars like Makhachev, on a tight leash. The disparity in treatment is all too glaring to miss now.
