The current UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, is the second Dagstani after Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has held the title. Islam has only lost once in his professional MMA career, against Adriano Martins in 2015, and he is currently on an 11-fight winning streak. The Russian fighter fought in 24 fights, winning 23 of them; in his final fight, he defeated Charles Oliveira via submission, earning him the UFC lightweight title.
After having witnessed that dominating victory over the Brazilian, fans are excited to learn about who will be the next fighter to challenge for the lightweight title. As per the data from different insiders, we have made a list of three fighters who could feature in the upcoming lightweight title defense bout of Islam Makhachev.
Islam Makhachev’s next probable opponent
#1 Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski is the current UFC featherweight champion. This Australian holds a solid record in his professional MMA career. Out of his 26 appearances in the ring, Volkanovski only lost once and won the other 25 bouts. Volkanovoski has been the backup fighter for the Islam vs Oliveira title bouts, and now he is considered the most worthy fighter who can challenge Islam for the UFC lightweight title.
#2 Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira is one of the deadliest fighters in the lightweight division but was a bit unlucky in his last two bouts. Before losing to Islam Makhachev, the Brazilian fighter was stripped of the UFC lightweight title because of his failure in the weight test against Justin Gaethje. Recently, Oliveira vouched that he would be back in the octagon after being 10 times stronger than now as Do Bronx considered Islam a better performer in the UFC 280. That’s why fans believe Oliveira deserves a rematch to claim his lost title.
#3 Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier last appeared in the UFC lightweight title bout against Oliveira in December 2021 and lost that bout. Currently, he is considered the third-best lightweight fighter in the UFC. Though the chance is very low, there is still a little hope left for “the Diamond” to fight Islam for the UFC lightweight title shot.
