Islam Makhachev is wasting no time after his title defense at UFC 311 last Saturday as he has already returned to training.
Unfortunately for the dominant champion, his UFC 311 fight week turned into quite the whirlwind when Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of their scheduled main event just 24 hours before the fight.
Despite this, Renato Moicano saved the day, stepping in at short notice as he was already set to face Beneil Dariush on the undercard.
Islam Makhachev showed why he is widely considered the greatest lightweight of all time when he defeated the Brazilian in the first round and broke the UFC record for lightweight title defense.
READ MORE: 'End Your Losing Streak'… Belal Muhammad Roasts Kamaru Usman For Enforcing Rivalry With Islam Makhachev
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Islam Makhavhev returns to training just days after winning UFC 311
It's fair to say that Makhachev hasn't suffered any damage from his UFC 311 fight and may be looking to return to the Octagon as soon as possible.
After sustaining no damage, Makhachev has surprisingly already returned to training after traveling from LA to Dubai. Footage shared by a Russian Instagram page showed Makhachev back on the mat with some of his teammates, while Khabib Nurmagomedov led the session.
Notably, Umar Nurmagomedov was not on the mats following his UFC 311 loss to Merab Dvalishvili, where he claims he broke his hand in the first round.
When the 33-year-old decides to fight again, it won't be against Tsarukyan after UFC boss Dana White revealed Tsarukyan will not fight for the title again after making a late withdrawal.
Unfortunately, that has become par for the course for the UFC, as when Charles Oliveira pulled out of his rematch against Makhachev at UFC 294, he had to fight in a number one contender's bout instead of fighting for the title again.
Who will Islam Makhachev fight next?
With Tsarukyan unfortunately ruled out by White, which Daniel Cormier disagrees with, fans are wondering who the dominant champion could possibly fight next.
Makhachev has continually hinted at a future move to the welterweight division in an attempt to become a double champion, but with his teammate Belal Muhammad currently reigning over the 170-pound division, it is unlikely he will fight him.
In doing so, the Russian sensationally called out middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis following UFC 311, stating that he wants to become the first fighter to win a three-division title.
This is unlikely to happen next time for Makhachev, although his manager has teased a big plan that will include Tsarukyan, Oliveira and Ilia Topuria.
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