Islam Makhachev, the UFC lightweight champion, will defend his crown against a well-known opponent on October 21 at UFC 294, and with a victory, he hopes to contend for the welterweight title.
In the main event of UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, Makhachev (24-1) will square off against former champion Charles Oliveira (34-9) while UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards will meet Colby Covington at UFC 296 in December.
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Islam Makhachev Aims Welterweight Division
The victor of the fight would likely face Makhachev, who is ranked No. 2 in the world by ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings. This is especially true considering that the UFC gave featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski the opportunity to meet Makhachev in February. Makhachev triumphed after a vote.
“I don’t know what the UFC has planned, but my dream fight is for the second belt,” Makhachev told ESPN. “Of course, I am under contract, so whatever the UFC says, I will fight, no problem. But Edwards vs. Colby — I really believe I can beat [the winner]. I look at their skills and what they have as champion and I know my skills. It’s going to be a good fight. I’m not saying I’m going to beat them easy. It’s going to be a hard, tough fight against a big guy. But I believe I can finish those guys.”
While Covington (17-3) recently criticised Makhachev’s abilities in an interview, Edwards (21-3) has mostly dismissed Makhachev’s interest in a champion versus champion matchup. Makhachev expressed his desire for Covington to triumph and for the UFC to schedule that contest.
Regarding the task at hand, Makhachev stated that Oliveira is not being disregarded, but that he is naturally very confident in light of the Brazilian’s submission at UFC 280 exactly one year prior. By knocking out Beneil Dariush in June, Oliveira secured a title rematch. He has since acknowledged that the first time he faced Makhachev, he wasn’t at his best. Oliveira has even stated that he will not watch the video of that defeat. Makhachev thinks there’s a rationale for it.
