The Islam Makhachev next fight is a hot topic of conversation, with rumours the UFC Lightweight Champion will defend his title against Arman Tsarukyan in early 2025.
Islam Makhachev Next Fight: When Will The UFC Lightweight King Return?
Islam Makhachev is one of the greatest MMA fighters on the planet right now. The reigning UFC Lightweight Champion is a near unbeatable force at 155-pounds right now, following on the Dagestani dominance of the UFC lightweight division following Khabib Nurmagomedov.
As well as being an elite fighter, Makhachev is also one of the most followed UFC fighters in the world, with over 8.8 million Instagram followers. This makes him the third most popular UFC fighter behind just Conor McGregor and Jon Jones as of today.
Islam Makhachev’s record is an impressive 26-1, which consists of five knockout victories, 12 submissions and nine decision wins. The 33-year-old is also widely regarded as the current pound-for-pound king of the UFC, alongside the likes of Jon Jones and Alex Pereira.
UFC fans last saw the Dagestani fighter in action at UFC 302 back in June 2024, where he defeated Dustin Poirier by Round 5 submission to retain his UFC Lightweight Title for the third successive fight. Makhachev won the belt back in October 2022 and has since defended it on three occasions.
Regarding Islam Makhachev’s next fight, it is highly likely the 155-pound champion will face Arman Tsarukyan in the next defence of his world crown. Tsarukyan and Makhachev fought back in 2019, with the Russian fighter winning via unanimous decision. However, it was a super close fight and both men have improved massively since then.
As the champion and dominant force at lightweight, Makhachev unsurprisingly goes in as the favourite with the best UFC betting sites to defeat Tsarukyan and retain his belt. Time will tell how this fight plays out, with Islam Makhachev’s next fight not too far away.
Could Islam Makhachev Move Up & Win The UFC Welterweight Title In 2025?
UFC President Dana White will be hoping to see Islam Makhachev back inside the octagon in early 2025. He remains one of the biggest draws in the UFC, as well as being arguably the most dominant champion on the entire UFC roster right now.
With the Arman Tsarukyan rematch all but confirmed for a huge UFC pay-per-view early next year, it seems Makhachev will continue to compete at 155-pounds. If he is to beat Tsarukyan, the Charles Oliveira rematch looks like it could be on the cards next for a fight in the summer.
After that, it is unknown who Islam Makhachev could fight. The likes of Joe Rogan and other respected MMA voices have mentioned the possibility of the Dagestani warrior moving up to welterweight in the not so distant future.
Belal Muhammad currently holds the UFC Welterweight Title after beating Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in Manchester. It remains to be seen what he does next, whether that be fighting Edwards again or the Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Ian Garry winner later in 2025.
After that, it could be time for Makhachev to move up and aim to become a two-division UFC champion. The 33-year-old will be given an immediate title shot if he decides to move up to 170-pounds, and you can’t say Makhachev doesn’t deserve it either.
All of this chat will be irrelevant though if Makhachev fails to beat Tsarukyan for a second time in their fight in early 2025.
Be sure to claim the various combat sports betting offers and free bet deals available on the SportsCasting site ahead of Israel Adesanya’s next fight.
