Islam Makhachev isn’t impressed with what’s headlining UFC 317.
As Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira get set to battle for Makhachev’s soon-to-be-vacant lightweight title, the reigning champion is already focused on a bigger picture—welterweight gold. While most fans are looking at the UFC 317 main event as a crowning moment for a new 155-pound king, Makhachev sees it as a placeholder.
“I just feel bad, man,” Makhachev said of UFC 317. “Nobody speak about International Fight Week. Nobody speak about main event. What is this, man? Please, let’s promote a little bit. Okay? Do some work.”
Makhachev made the decision to vacate the lightweight belt after four consecutive title defenses and a 15-fight win streak that stretched from 2015 to 2024. He doesn’t see any interesting challenges left at lightweight and has now set his sights on UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena.
“Because right now it’s the best time,” Makhachev said. “I was waiting for [Arman] Tsarukyan because he have also a very good win streak and people were waiting for this fight.
“He pulled out in the last fight and I don’t see some interesting fights in my division. That’s why I made the decision to move up because now they have a new champion, a very good fighter, Jack Della Maddalena, and it’s a fight making me train every day, make me wake up early morning.”
Although fans briefly entertained the idea of a Topuria vs. Makhachev super-fight after seeing Makhachev meet with UFC executives, the lightweight champ dismissed the speculation.
“Everybody think [UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell] came to make fight with Topuria, but he was here, we talked about fight against the winner between Maddalena and Belal [Muhammad],” Makhachev said.
“He told me, ‘I know Belal is your friend, but this is a sport.’ Shake hands, fight, after the fight, respect, and that’s it. Just see who is the best fighter in the world. We have big discussions about that and I told him let’s wait for the fight when Belal fights with Maddalena. We will see after that what we have to do.”
His next chapter at 170 pounds is nearly set, with a proposed pay-per-view slot in October or November. Ideally, Makhachev would fight at Madison Square Garden in New York, which he called “legendary.”
Initially, he wanted to keep his lightweight belt while chasing welterweight gold, but the timing didn’t make sense.
“I want to hold the belt from the lightweight, but it’s not possible,” he admitted.
“Because I fight in January and we wait, if I fight with Maddalena, when is it going to be? October, November? Fight again in February, Ramadan is beginning. Holding more than one year the lightweight belt, it’s not what I want to do.”
Now, his focus is on putting on size and preparing for what may be his most difficult test yet. Makhachev praised Maddalena’s evolution as a wrestler and acknowledged the threat the Australian brings to the table.
“It’s going to be a hard fight,” Makhachev said. “I saw his fight against Belal, he’s good. He’s good. When he began fighting in UFC, he had problems with wrestling, but now he’s improved because I see him training a lot with wrestlers, with the grapplers, and that’s why he’s a champion right now and he’s good everywhere. But we will see who is the best fighter in the world. Very soon.”
As Makhachev prepares for a leap into a second weight class, UFC 317 moves forward without him, but with his shadow looming large. Oliveira vs Topuria may crown a new champion, but the standard was already set by the man moving on to chase another belt.
