Islam Makhachev, the undisputed UFC Lightweight champion, has long been interested in becoming a double champion in the promotion. However, Belal Muhammad, a friend of his, has the Welterweight title, which will be on the line in the upcoming UFC 315 PPV headliner.
With Makhachev’s next move not yet announced, his training partner has seemingly revealed their plans to the UFC CEO, Dana White.
What Did Islam Makhachev’s Training Partner Say to Dana White?
Yusuf Raisov, a Welterweight MMA fighter, currently competing for Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), recently shared a picture of himself with Makhachev. In the image taken from the Buka Gym Martial Arts Academy in Dubai, Raisov also tagged White with a message.
“He goes for the second one,” Raisov wrote. Makhachev later re-shared it on his Instagram story.
Many unconfirmed rumors have emerged that Makhachev is closely monitoring the UFC 315 main event Welterweight title bout between Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. Many people believe that a potential victory for Della Maddalena will make Makhachev chase a second belt.
The promotion has not yet announced the main event for UFC 317, the International Fight Week PPV. In the post-fight press conference of UFC Kansas City, White confirmed that Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev will happen, but not on UFC 317.
White smiled when asked about the potential Lightweight title fight between Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, hinting that it would likely happen. After all, Topuria had already revealed that the UFC promised him a title shot after he vacated the Featherweight title.
Dana White’s Right Hand Man Visited Islam Makhachev in Dagestan
Hunter Campbell, Chief Business Officer of the UFC, is often called White’s right-hand man. A lawyer by profession, Campbell joined the promotion as an Executive Vice President and General Counsel in 2017, and after two years, became the CBO of the promotion.
Campbell recently travelled to Dagestan to meet Makhachev. Rizvan Magomedov, the Lightweight champion’s manager, shared snaps from the meeting on his Instagram.
“Short trip, but long day for our guest Hunter in Dagestan: Canyon, Mountains and of course Papakha Coffee. It was great to see and host you here brother!,” Magomedov captioned the post.
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Many believe Campbell’s visit is to get Makhachev to sign a deal to fight Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. While it’s not uncommon for the UFC brass to visit their fighters, Campbell travelling alone to meet the pound-for-pound king might mean something big is cooking.
Makhachev’s team has been dismissive of fighting Topuria mainly because of the hostile reception he garnered despite defeating Alexander Volkanovski twice. Even though he has made a record four Lightweight title defenses, some fight fans often point out Makhachev’s first two title defenses against Volkanovski, a featherweight, to criticize him.