Islam Makhachev could return to lightweight after his crack at welterweight gold, according to one of his unbeaten gymmates.
Featherweight contender Movlid Khaybulaev takes on Tae Kyun Kim in the PFL World Tournament semi-finals tomorrow night in Nashville, putting his 22-0-1 record on the line in the process.
He is a regular training partner of Makhachev under the tutelage of Khabib Nurmagomedov. And he has watched him prepare for a move up to 170lb where the pound-for-pound number one will take on newly-crowned champion Jack Della Maddalena.
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Islam Makhachev’s move to welterweight might not be permanent, says teammate
When Islam Makhachev made the move up to 170lb, he was forced to give up his lightweight title after a record-breaking reign. This allowed Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria to fight for the vacant belt in what will be the main event of UFC 317.
However, Khaybulaev believes that his days at 155lb are not numbered just yet. While he doesn’t view a rematch with Oliveira or yet another featherweight champion in Topuria as interesting, he could return if the right fight emerges.
“He said himself if he is going to have an interesting fight at lightweight he will always come back,” Khaybulaev told Bloody Elbow ahead of tomorrow night’s PFL World Tournament semi-finals.
“It’s just that he feels right now there is nobody new left for him and he just wants to test himself which is why he is going up to welterweight.”
Islam Makhachev backed for success in move to welterweight
Before moving back down, though, Makhachev must complete his quest for a second belt. At the Nurmagomedov gym, the team trains indiscriminately of weight classes, which means Khaybulaev has seen the lightweight great compete with welterweights at a high level already.
“I fully trust Islam’s experience and how he feels himself going a weight up,” he explained. “We’ve got a bunch of people we train with at different weight classes. For example, me. I train with Islam, who is a lightweight and we are totally different [Khaybulaev is a featherweight].
“But it also helps me to test myself to see physically where I stand with different opponents. I feel it will be the same for him, and if he feels that he’s ready then that means he probably is. He probably tested himself multiple times with the heavier guys.