Dominant lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has been openly expressing his ambition to eventually move up a weight class to compete for a second UFC championship title.
However, the current reign of his friend and teammate Belal Muhammad as the welterweight champion has sparked speculation about potential conflicts of interest behind the scenes.
Islam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad, and Khabib Nurmagomedov share a rich history, with their intertwined relationships being a significant factor in their remarkable successes as UFC champions.
Should Makhachev choose to ascend to welterweight and challenge for a second belt, there are questions about how Khabib Nurmagomedov would respond to his pupil fighting Muhammad.
In a conversation with Henry Cejudo on the Pound-4-Pound Podcast, Nurmagomedov mentioned that it would be best to ask both fighters about such a matchup, but expressed that his "heart is not okay" with the idea of his two friends clashing in the octagon.
Nurmagomedov remarked, “If they had asked me to fight Belal when I was active, my answer would be no. But for Belal and Islam, well, you’ve got to talk with them about that.”
He continued, “My heart, my heart is not okay with this; it would be hard for me to prepare Islam to beat Belal.”
Interestingly, Nurmagomedov also stated, “I don’t think that it’s ever going to happen,” leaving it unclear whether Makhachev will put his champ-champ aspirations on hold as long as Muhammad remains champion.
Nurmagomedov elaborated on the challenge Makhachev would face in a potential matchup, stating, “For me, it’s always going to be very hard to prepare somebody to beat Belal."
He noted that to defeat Muhammad, a fighter would likely need to stop him, adding that controlling him for the full duration of a fight is incredibly challenging.
Nurmagomedov explained, “It’s hard to dominate him in the striking aspect for all 25 minutes because he mixes it up. He doesn’t stay with you the entire time; he wrestles and strikes, wrestles and strikes; he is good.”
Belal Muhammad is expected to battle undefeated Kazakh fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov in early 2025, although Nurmagomedov is eager to see Muhammad square off against Kamaru Usman, Cejudo’s podcast co-host.
He expressed, “I want to see Belal vs Kamaru because Kamaru deserves this. People can say whatever they want; Kamaru deserves this fight. Of course, Shavkat is in the mix, but if Kamaru beats someone like Jack Della Maddalena, he could compete for the title.”
While Makhachev dreams of being a two-weight UFC champion, this ambition hinges upon him successfully defending his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan in January 2025.
Khabib Nurmagomedov will be supporting Makhachev during that title rematch. He will have a busy night, as his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov will also be fighting for bantamweight gold in the co-main event.
UFC 311 is set to take place live from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
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