Islam Makhachev`s most recent lightweight title defense took place in January, and he has not yet committed to his next title defense bout. For Diego Lima, the trainer and manager of 155-pound contender Charles Oliveira, the situation is clear: Makhachev must either defend his championship or vacate it.
Makhachev is reportedly waiting to see the outcome of the upcoming welterweight championship fight at UFC 315 on May 10th, where his friend, champion Belal Muhammad, defends his belt against Jack Della Maddalena. Should Maddalena emerge victorious, Makhachev could potentially pursue a challenge for the 170-pound strap.
When asked to consider the situation from the UFC`s perspective, rather than solely as Oliveira`s manager, Lima maintained that establishing an interim belt makes sense.
“If Makhachev moves up, then he relinquishes the belt,” Lima stated. “It`s similar to Ilia Topuria`s situation. I believe the UFC will ask him to make a choice. If he says, `I will fight` [at 170 pounds], then they absolutely must create an interim title. I cannot allow an entire division to be put on hold. Personally, I find it absurd to freeze an entire division.”
He elaborated, “When an athlete moves up, they have to either give up their belt or an interim title should be established. When a fighter starts taking an excessive amount of time to decide their next step, that`s when it`s necessary to create an interim belt. The division needs to keep moving forward. Fighters work incredibly hard to reach the championship level, and once they get there, they shouldn`t just sit on the belt. That`s not the way things should operate.”
Charles Oliveira had initially planned, following a previous victory, to serve as a backup fighter for a scheduled Islam Makhachev bout in January. However, Lima stated the UFC informed them no backup fighter would be needed. When Makhachev`s opponent withdrew just hours before the weigh-ins, Renato Moicano stepped in as a last-minute replacement challenger for the title.
Subsequently, Charles Oliveira, known as “Do Bronx,” began campaigning for a rematch against Makhachev, potentially headlining the traditional UFC International Fight Week card in Las Vegas, or alternatively challenging Max Holloway for the BMF belt. While Makhachev`s next move remains undecided, Holloway is now scheduled to face Dustin Poirier in what is being billed as Poirier`s final MMA fight at UFC 318 on July 19th.
The title landscape becomes even more complex with the inclusion of Ilia Topuria, who recently vacated his featherweight title to reportedly pursue opportunities in the lightweight division. Makhachev has publicly stated that Topuria should first earn a shot at 155 pounds by defeating a relevant opponent, and Oliveira has expressed interest in facing Topuria if it is contested for an interim lightweight championship.
“While I am not Topuria`s manager, if I were, I would not advise my fighter to vacate their belt and risk moving up a division for no guaranteed gain,” Lima commented. “I would only make such a move with a specific goal and negotiation in place. I am unsure if that was Topuria`s approach. There are many underlying factors that we are currently unaware of.”
Lima concluded, “As for Makhachev, he has stated numerous times before that he intends to move up in weight. Between Charles and Makhachev, there is a championship belt, and that is what we are focused on winning. However, getting to that point involves navigating two major uncertainties. Firstly, the outcome of Belal Muhammad`s fight – we simply do not know how the situation will unfold depending on whether Belal wins or loses. And secondly, there is the situation with Topuria, and we are unaware of the specific negotiations that occurred when he decided to relinquish his belt and move up a division.”
