Islam Makhachev, the current UFC lightweight champion, last defended his belt in January by submitting Renato Moicano in Los Angeles. As of now, he has not yet signed for his next title defense. According to Diego Lima, who trains and manages top 155-pound contender Charles Oliveira, Makhachev faces a clear choice: he must either defend his title or relinquish it.
Makhachev appears to be awaiting the outcome of the welterweight championship fight between his friend, champion Belal Muhammad, and Jack Della Maddalena, scheduled for May 10 at UFC 315. Should Maddalena emerge victorious, it could potentially open the door for Makhachev to challenge for the 170-pound strap.
When asked to consider the situation from the UFC`s perspective, aside from his role with Oliveira, Lima maintained that it would make sense to at least establish an interim belt if Makhachev is inactive or moves up.
“If Makhachev moves up? Then he loses the belt,” Lima stated. “It`s comparable to [Ilia] Topuria`s situation. I believe the UFC will require him to make a decision. If he indicates he will fight at 170, then they absolutely must create an interim title. You simply cannot put an entire division on hold. Speaking personally, I find the idea of pausing an entire weight class completely absurd.”
He elaborated, “When an athlete decides to move up in weight, they are typically expected to either vacate their current belt or necessitate the creation of an interim one. If a fighter begins taking an excessive amount of time to decide their next move, that signals the need for an interim championship. The division needs to maintain momentum. Fighters invest so much effort to reach the pinnacle and claim the belt, and they shouldn`t then be allowed to just `sit` on it. That isn`t the proper way things should operate.”
Oliveira`s original plan following his victory over Michael Chandler in November was to potentially serve as a backup fighter for the planned January 18 bout between Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan. However, Lima mentioned that the UFC informed them a backup fighter wouldn`t be used. When Tsarukyan withdrew just hours before the weigh-ins, Renato Moicano was pulled from his scheduled fight on the card to step in and challenge for the gold.
“Do Bronx,” as Oliveira is known, began publicly campaigning in late June for a rematch against Makhachev, ideally headlining the traditional UFC International Fight Week card in Las Vegas, or alternatively, challenging Max Holloway for the BMF belt. While Makhachev`s next opponent remains undecided, Max Holloway is now slated to face Dustin Poirier in what is expected to be his final MMA appearance at UFC 318 on July 19.
The landscape of the lightweight title picture becomes even more complicated with the inclusion of Ilia Topuria, who recently vacated his featherweight championship to pursue a title opportunity in the lightweight division. Makhachev has publicly commented that Topuria should first earn a shot at 155 pounds by defeating a ranked contender. Charles Oliveira has also expressed his interest in facing Topuria, specifically if the fight were contested for an interim lightweight strap.
“While I am not Topuria`s manager, if I were, I would not have advised my fighter to vacate his belt and take the risk of moving up a weight class without a clear objective or negotiated opportunity,” Lima commented. “I would only move up with a specific goal in mind and ideally with some level of prior negotiation. I`m not certain if that`s what occurred with Topuria. There are many factors happening behind the scenes that we are not privy to.”
He continued, “As for Makhachev, he has stated his desire to move up in weight on numerous occasions previously. The lightweight belt is the prize between Charles and Makhachev, and that is precisely what we are aiming to win. However, accessing that title currently involves two main uncertainties. Firstly, the outcome of Belal`s fight – we simply don`t know how things will unfold depending on whether Belal wins or loses. And secondly, there is the situation surrounding Topuria, and we lack information regarding the specific negotiations or circumstances that led him to relinquish his featherweight belt and move up a division.”
