An undefeated teammate of Islam Makhachev suggests that a return to the lightweight division might happen after he attempts to win the welterweight title.
Movlid Khaybulaev, a featherweight contender with an undefeated 22-0-1 record, is competing in the PFL World Tournament semi-finals tomorrow night in Nashville.
Khaybulaev regularly trains with Makhachev under the guidance of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He has observed Makhachev`s preparation for the move up to the 170lb welterweight division, where the current pound-for-pound king will face the new champion, Jack Della Maddalena.
Teammate Suggests Islam Makhachev`s Move to Welterweight Might Not Be Permanent
Makhachev had to vacate his lightweight championship after a significant reign when he decided to move up to 170lb. This action cleared the way for Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria to compete for the vacant title in the main event of UFC 317.
Khaybulaev, however, thinks that Makhachev`s time in the 155lb division isn`t necessarily over. He mentioned that while potential rematches with Oliveira or facing the featherweight champion Topuria don`t seem particularly interesting right now, a return is possible if a compelling opponent emerges.
He said himself if he is going to have an interesting fight at lightweight he will always come back.
It’s just that he feels right now there is nobody new left for him and he just wants to test himself which is why he is going up to welterweight.
Teammate Supports Islam Makhachev`s Welterweight Move and Expects Success
Before potentially returning to lightweight, Makhachev must focus on his goal of securing a second belt. At the Nurmagomedov gym, fighters train across different weight classes, meaning Khaybulaev has witnessed Makhachev successfully spar and compete with welterweights previously.
I fully trust Islam’s experience and how he feels himself going a weight up. We’ve got a bunch of people we train with at different weight classes. For example, me. I train with Islam, who is a lightweight and we are totally different [Khaybulaev is a featherweight]. But it also helps me to test myself to see physically where I stand with different opponents.
I feel it will be the same for him, and if he feels that he’s ready then that means he probably is. He probably tested himself multiple times with the heavier guys.
