Islam Makhachev has vacated his UFC lightweight championship to pursue gold in the welterweight division, effectively canceling the highly anticipated showdown with featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. The Russian fighter will now challenge newly crowned welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena instead of facing "El Matador" in what many considered the potential fight of the year.
The 33-year-old Makhachev appears to have strategically avoided the confrontation with Topuria, who was looking to move up in weight class himself. Interesting timing, isn't it?
"I think it will be in the United States, probably in October or November," Della Maddalena revealed in an interview with "The Grin Reapers" regarding his upcoming title defense. "They had planned a PPV in Mexico, but I think everything has changed. Now it's early October in Las Vegas."
Meanwhile, Topuria isn't left without options. The 28-year-old Spanish-Georgian fighter will still get his shot at lightweight gold, but against former champion Charles Oliveira instead - a match where Topuria enters as the clear favorite.
By the time Makhachev steps into the octagon against Della Maddalena, he will have been absent from competition for nearly ten months. The timing has raised eyebrows among both fans and UFC stars, with many questioning whether Makhachev's move up in weight class is partially motivated by avoiding a potentially dangerous matchup with Topuria.
It's worth noting that Makhachev previously granted two title shots to former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, yet apparently believes that victories against fighters from lower weight divisions lack merit - a curious position given his current career move.
The UFC has already confirmed that the September event originally planned for Guadalajara, Mexico will be relocated to San Antonio, Texas and downgraded from a pay-per-view to a Fight Night format.
Could this championship shuffle ultimately lead to an even bigger showdown between Makhachev and Topuria down the road? Or is this the beginning of two entirely separate championship journeys?
