After the Instagram Live update from Dana White we now know what the next one is for Islam Makhachev.
Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira is official for UFC 317 with White clarification that it will be for the empty lightweight title.
The UFC president continued to say that Makhachev left the title to raise a division where he will be confronted with the new champion in the near future, Jack della Maddalena.
Fans expect this announcement after the results of UFC 315 where Della Maddalena Belal Muhammad defeated, with large implications with 155 pounds.
The ball really started to go for the return of the promotion to Montreal after photos came out on social media of White's right hand, Hunter Campbell, meeting Khabib Nurmagomedov and Makhachev.
Ali Abdelaziz says that Hunter Campbell Khabib Nurmagomedov and the respect of Islam Makhachev has earned
Islam Makhachev stated after UFC 315 that although he would move to the Welterweight Division, he did not intend to leave his lightweight title to do this.
It was clear that the UFC was not happy to be the idea, talking about the promotion that decided to stop for double champions, as to see when Ilia Topuria dropped the featherweight belt earlier this year.
The manager of Makhachev, Ali Abdelaziz, believes that Hunter Campbell's decision to go to Dagestan to meet Khabib Nurmagomedov and the former lightweight champion personally was crucial for the smooth negotiations.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Tom Aspinall recently stated when talking about his own meetings with Campbell that the UFC would rather talk about the big fighting face-to-face, but the home of Makhachacthev is hardly easy to reach.
Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn that this difficult journey helped to earn the respect of the Makhachev team.
“To be honest, if Hunter hadn't gone to Dagestan, I don't think things would have been as smooth as they are. I think the culture of Khabib and Islam and these guys, our culture, when you have a guest, you don't leave the guest empty -handed.
“I think all the respect for him. He went there, many people told him he shouldn't go there, they think he is crazy, I think he is crazy too.
'You have to respect the man. It was a nightmare who received a visa. He went there and said it was the best experience he had in his life. I remember that Khabib really loves Hunter. They have a relationship [from] Long -term and I think he has deserved these guys respect. '
When can fans expect Islam Makhacheve Jack della Maddalena to challenge Welterweight?
Jack della Maddalena came as a victor on UFC 315 after a great fight with Belal Muhammad, where the challenger was upset.
The new champion immediately referred to a fight with Islam Makhachev, but he raised some damage on 10 May.
Fortunately, Della Maddalena has since confirmed that he has not suffered any significant injuries and hopes to return to the training after a short break.
'JDM' said Fox Sports Australia that his ideal time frame for the matchup “would be within the next four to five months”.
Della Maddalena also doubled his motivation for this fight and claimed that he wants to take revenge on Makhachev for his friend and teammate, Alexander Volkanovski.