When Is the UFC Welterweight Champ Going to Defend His Belt?
It has been over four months since Islam Makhachev's dominant win against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. The fight lasted all five rounds, with Makhachev using his elite ground game to punish Maddalena and prove that he is truly ready to wreck through the Welterweight Division. The champ is currently on a 16-fight win streak, with many of those wins coming during his reign in the UFC Lightweight Division years prior. Now a double champion, Makhachev looks to run through the Welterweight Division, but the question remains of how soon his next bout will be.
Many fans theorized that the Dagestani fighter would be on the White House card, possibly even the main event. However, once the card went live during UFC 326, fans were disappointed. More theories and rumors surfaced on social media suggesting that Makhachev would headline the International Fight Week card against a highly ranked welterweight fighter, with the fighter's manager even confirming this to TMZ. Nevertheless, Dana White was very quick to shut down these claims and rumors as well, stating on social media that August is the expected return date, also confirming at the UFC London post-fight press conference that the champ is dealing with a hand injury.
So, if everything holds to Dana's claims, and August is the return date for Makhachev, who would he fight? Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, previously told sources that the athlete had a fight deal in place with a top contender in the division. This alleged confirmation suggests the fight would be either a rematch against the first-ranked Maddalena or against the second-ranked Ian Machado Garry. A fight against Garry would make much more sense in this case, since Makhachev's last fight against JDM was very one-sided. The Irish fighter has only one loss on his record and is stylistically similar to Makhachev. Both fighters can be a force to be reckoned with on the ground, while also holding their own in the stand-up game. With Dana at least confirming the month of Makhachev's return, fans should expect a full fight announcement from the CEO in the near future.
