Islam Makhachev is wasting no time following his title defense at UFC 311 this past Saturday as he has already returned to training.
Unfortunately for the dominant champion, his UFC 311 fight week turned into quite the whirlwind when Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from their scheduled main event just 24 hours before the fight.
Despite that, Renato Moicano saved the day and stepped in on short notice as he was already scheduled to take on Beneil Dariush on the undercard.
Islam Makhachev showcased why he is widely regarded as the greatest lightweight of all time when he submitted the Brazilian in the first round, breaking the UFC record for lightweight title defenses.
Islam Makhavhev returns to training just days after UFC 311 win
It’s fair to say Makhachev didn’t absorb any damage from his UFC 311 fight and may be looking to return to the Octagon as soon as possible.
After taking no damage, Makhachev has surprisingly already returned to training after traveling from LA to Dubai. Footage shared by a Russsian Instagram page showed Makhachev back on the mats with several of his teammates, with Khabib Nurmagomedov leading the session.
Noticably, Umar Nurmagomedov wasn’t on the mats following his UFC 311 loss to Merab Dvalishvili where he claims he broke his hand in round one.
Whenever the 33-year-old does decide to fight again, it won’t be against Tsarukyan after UFC boss Dana White revealed Tsarukyan won’t fight for the title next following his late notice withdrawal.
Unfortunately that has become the regular process for the UFC as when Charles Oliveira withdrew from his rematch against Makhachev at UFC 294, he was made to fight in a number one contender fight instead of being booked to fight for the title again.
Who will Islam Makhachev fight next?
With Tsarukyan being unfortunately ruled out by White, which Daniel Cormier doesn’t agree with, fans are wondering who the dominant champion could potentially fight next.
Makhachev has constantly hinted at a future move up to the welterweight division in an attempt at becoming double champion but with his teammate Belal Muhammad currently reigning over the 170lb division, it is unlikely he will fight him.
With that, the Russian sensationally called out middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis following UFC 311, stating that he wants to become the first fighter to win a title in three divisions.
That is unlikely to happen next for Makhachev, although his manager has teased at a big plan, ruling out Tsarukyan, Oliveira, and Ilia Topuria.