Islam Makhachev next fight: is the lightweight champion fighting Leon Edwards?

After the main event of UFC 296 on Saturday night, in which Leon Edwards defeated Colby Covington to retain his UFC welterweight title, speculation about “Rocky’s” future grew within the MMA community. Notably, Islam Makhachev has expressed his desire to fight Edwards for the welterweight championship.

Given the lackluster results of the most recent championship fight, fans and analysts are engaging in intense discussions about Makhachev vs. Edwards. With UFC 296 coming to an end, the welterweight division’s story in 2024 becomes more exciting with the possibility of this matchup.

Islam Makhachev wants Leon Edwards fight

Belal Muhammad, who entered as the backup for Edwards vs. Covington, is currently riding a nine-fight unbeaten streak (with one no-contest). He is the main contender for the next UFC welterweight title shot. However, Islam Makhachev, the current lightweight champion of the UFC, has expressed interest in fighting the Edwards vs. Covington winner at welterweight, after the main event of UFC 296.

Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev recently finished a two-fight series in which the Dagestani fighter twice defended his lightweight throne. Makhachev is interested in winning two divisions, but he also has several 155-pound opponents in line, including Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira.

Makhachev showed interest in Justin Gaethje fight

Islam Makhachev, considered the best fighter in the UFC in his weight class, is gearing up to defend his title once more. A rematch between Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan has been suggested since the Armenian’s main event knockout victory over Beneil Dariush in the UFC Austin main event.

However, Makhachev stated on the Ushatayka YouTube channel that a matchup with Justin Gaethje is what he would prefer to see. In response, the Russian MMA fighter declared his intention to make a comeback in March as part of UFC 299, capping his remarks.

Dana White suggested during the UFC 294 that the Oliveira rematch would be rescheduled, but Tsarukyan’s spectacular knockout might have caused a change in his plans. Makhachev added that Tsarukyan was still, in his opinion, one significant victory away from becoming the next title challenger.

Earlier, Islam Makhachev, the lightweight champion of the UFC, has expressed interest in competing against Justin Gaethje in the future, but the Russian has not yet revealed his opponent. Makhachev has a wide range of choices for his next opponent after being nominated for Knockout of the Year.

Conor McGregor, Mateusz Gamrot, Arman Tsarukyan, and Charles Oliveira are all suspected to be Makhachev’s next opponents. But after defeating Dustin Poirier via knockout at UFC 291—Gaethje appears to be the most favorite. After his most recent victory, Gaethje declared that the only fight he would be interested in was for the title. Currently, Gaethje has a 0-2 record in undisputed UFC title matches.

In addition to having a built-in narrative with Makhachev as Khabib Nurmagomedov’s final opponent, Gaethje is ranked second in the division. Throughout the fight camp, Makhachev served as one of Nurmagomedov’s primary training partners, helping him submit Gaethje with a triangle choke.