The UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev has found himself in a concerning situation after some recent news came out from the company. The UFC recently suspended Arman Tsarukyan until January 12th, 2025 following a physical altercation he had with a fan at UFC 300.
With Tsarukayn being the #1 contender in the lightweight division and many other ranked fighters either having a bout coming up or coming off a loss, it will be difficult to find Islam Makhachev his next opponent. Makhachev will likely be looking to fight next at UFC 308, as that event will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
There are multiple ways Islam and the UFC can go in terms of finding his next opponent, and here are the possible names who may be in consideration.
Rematch with Dustin Poirier
One of the possible fights Islam Makhachev could have is a rematch against Dustin Poirier. Islam and Dustin had just recently fought at UFC 302, with Makhachev winning via submission in the 5th round.
Poirier had previously hinted at retiring from the UFC, but another championship fight will probably be one of the only matchups he’ll agree to take. With there not being many other opponents available, Dustin took it upon himself to call out Islam via Twitter to get a potential rematch, tweeting “If Arman can’t fight let’s go again.”
However, Islam replied to Dustin simply stating “No thanks” and immediately shut down the fight. The reason for this is that Makhachev is probably looking for fresh opponents to defend his title against. Despite the reply, there could still be a chance that this fight goes down considering the situation the lightweight division is currently in.
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Fight with Michael Chandler
Another possible name that has been in talks for a title fight lately is Michael Chandler. Chandler followed in the same footsteps as Poirier did as he also went on Twitter to call out Islam Makhachev for a possible title fight.
The ‘UFC’s most entertaining man’ tagged Makhachev in a tweet that stated “Good old-fashioned passionate American @MizzouWrestling beats sambo all day”, hinting that he would beat the champion if they fought. However, Islam also shut this possible fight down as he replied “You are unreliable dude, one tweet from your master, and you’ll run away. Champ needs a real opponent.”
This rejection does make more sense though, considering that Chandler is coming off of a loss to Dustin Poirier and hasn’t fought in nearly two years. Despite the reason for that mostly being the fault of Conor McGregor following a UFC 303 pullout, it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s the truth and that Chandler likely won’t be seeing a title fight against Islam.
Islam Makhachev vs Mateusz Gamrot?
Someone who can also be a potential opponent for the UFC Lightweight Champion is #5 ranked Mateusz Gamrot. Gamrot likely has the best case as to why he deserves a fight against Islam regarding all the fighters who are currently available, so this fight could very well take place.
Gamrot is currently on a three-fight win streak and has won six of his seven last seven outings. He has beaten four ranked opponents in the past three years, one of them being #1 contender Arman Tsarukyan. Gamrot’s grappling skills have allowed him to pick up decision wins over fighters such as Rafael Dos Anjos and Jalin Turner, and recently got a KO win against #8 ranked Rafael Fiziev.
This is likely the best opponent for Islam Makhachev if he wants to fight at UFC 308, and it will certainly be an excellent wrestling showcase if these two enter The Octagon with each other.
Wait for Arman Tsarukyan
Another very likely option for Islam Makhachev is to sit out for a few months and wait for the return of Arman Tsarukyan. After a huge win over Charles Oliveira, no case needs to be made for Tsarukyan to deserve a title shot, but this mostly comes down to whether Islam wants to take a fight before he steps into the ring with Arman.
This waiting-out process will have Islam out for at least 6 months, but very possibly longer depending on his training camp. He will likely not decide to take this route, though, as he has made it clear in recent months that he wants to start becoming a more active champion.
Whichever route the champion wants to take, a fight that features Islam Makhachev always turns out to be entertaining and fans should be eager to see who his next opponent will be.
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