The UFC lightweight title picture has had an unfortunate spanner thrown into its works as champion Islam Makhachev recovers from injury, and talks of an interim title fight continue.
Following his fifth-round submission win over Dustin Poirier back at UFC 302, there was an expectation that lightweight champion Islam Makhachev would return in October to headline the Abu Dhabi PPV – now, just two months later, there are talks of an interim title being put up for grabs.
With Makhachev out with injury, talks of an interim title continue
Islam Makhachev’s plans to secure two UFC title fight wins in 2024 have frustratingly been put on hold after revealing that he’d suffered a partial ligament tear in his hand during the fight with Poirier.
Unfortunately, since the injury will likely require surgery to correct, Makhachev was forced to admit that he wouldn’t make it back in time to face the rightful number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan, at UFC 308.
Yet as we’ve seen of late in the heavyweight division, the UFC could very well decide to take a fresh coat of paint to the lightweight title picture; not by stripping Makhachev of his belt, but by putting up an interim title as we await the champ’s recovery.
Given his desire to remain as active as possible, and to prove that the rematch with Makhachev might not be as one-sided as many fans predict, Tsarukyan has now stated that he’d be open to fighting for an interim championship.
“Well, I am the #1 contender, [Islam] says that I only talk, [but] how can a person talk and be in the top 1?” he shared via Artem Tarasov MMA and translated via Championship Rounds.
“It turns out that I’m not just walking, I’m also doing and proving it with my actions.
“I became number one and proved to the whole world that I am a contender for the title… My next fight will be only for the belt.
“So, it could be an interim title if [Islam] doesn’t have time to recover his hand. If he recovers his hand, it will be even better for me.”
One man who’s already put up his hand, albeit tentatively, as a potential opponent for Tsarukyan in such an interim title fight is the man who Makhachev suffered the injury against, Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier.
“I could fight at the end of the year,” he told MMA Junkie earlier this week, explaining how “The names, obviously the opponent matters big time but, where the timing and the position on the card and stuff like that, those come into play as well.
“I wonder what they’re gonna do with that [title], is Arman gonna continue to wait for Islam? I don’t know when Islam’s gonna be back but I saw a thing that said he might have to have surgery, so we’ll see man.
“The lightweight division has been so crazy over these past years,” the fan-favorite American noted, and when asked what he thought about an interim title fight against Tsarukyan, he simply stated: “Yeah, for sure [that] interests me.”
Whilst we’re yet to hear from Makhachev on what he thinks about two of his former opponents potentially fighting for an interim title; there’s one key person involved who is staunchly against such moves being made – Makhachev’s own coach, Javier Mendez.
Islam Makhachev’s veteran coach isn’t a fan of interim title fights
Javier Mendez is one of the greatest coaches in all of MMA; however, he’s also remarkably against the idea of having interim title fights in the UFC.
Speaking to Red Corner MMA earlier this week, this is what Mendez had to say on the issue of putting title belts on the line when an undisputed champion is out injured.
“First of all, interim titles are baloney… I mean I get it if Isam was going to be out for a whole year then do an interim title. But if you’re only out for a couple of months or two months at a time, why would you do an interim title when the champion can come out and do that, just like with Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones.”
Mendez criticized the decision to crown Aspinall as the interim heavyweight king, noting that “He’s not the champ, Jon Jones is the champ – what does interim champ even mean?
“Really, I’m just being honest – interim titles mean nothing to me. Interim titles just mean you’re next in line… You’re still the number one contender.”
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We’ll have to see what the UFC does in terms of the lightweight title picture, with Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway for the featherweight title now set to main event UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi in October.