Following his last-minute title defense against Renato Moicano at UFC 311, Islam Makhachev is already eyeing up his potential next defense.
The unstoppable lightweight champion was originally scheduled to defend his title against Arman Tsarukyan in a rematch six years in the making, however, Tsarukyan withdrew just hours before their fight.
In true champion fashion, Islam Makhachev told the UFC to put anyone in there with him on just 24 hours’ notice and Moicano was upgraded to the main event.
Makhachev once again showcased why he is the pound-for-pound number one fighter on the planet, scoring a first-round submission win, breaking the UFC record for the most title defenses in the 155lb division.
Islam Makhachev reveals he’d like to fight Justin Gaethje next
Following his impressive win, Makhachev audaciously called out the middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, as he detailed his plan to become a triple champion eventually.
Despite that, he is unlikely to fight ‘Stillknocks’ next as the 185lb king is scheduled to defend his title against Sean Strickland at UFC 312.
The large majority of the UFC fanbase assumed that Tsarukyan would be rescheduled to fight for the title next after missing out on his title shot but Dana White stated after UFC 311 that he will not fight for the belt next.
And with that, the Russian champion has surprisingly revealed that he is interested in a potential fight against Justin Gaethje.
‘The Highlight’ is scheduled to take on Dan Hooker at UFC 313 and ahead of that scrap, Gaethje has touched on his interest in fighting against Makhachev.
“Well, I like this idea (of fighting Gaethje) because I haven’t fought Justin yet, and if you look at the others on the list, Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, I’ve already fought them and preparing for the same opponent is not such a big motivation,” he told Ushatayka.
“If Gaethje shows himself well in the next fight, we can meet,” he continued.
The 36-year-old hasn’t picked up a win since his emphatic head kick win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 in July 2023.
Islam Makhachev has revealed when he would like to return
With Makhachev’s title defense having come at the very start of the year and him coming out unscathed, he already has a return date in mind.
The lightweight king said that he is targeting a return to the Octagon in July or potentially earlier. With Gaethje’s fight against Hooker scheduled for March, July could end up being too quick of a turnaround for him as that fight is expected to be a brutal affair.
Over the past few years, Gaethje’s activity has understandably slowed down, however, if he gets through ‘The Hangman’ and is offered a title shot, he may not want to turn down that opportunity.