UFC CEO Dana White does not see Islam Makhachev fighting Max Holloway for the latter’s BMF title next. At the UFC 302 post-fight press conference, White felt that given Makhachev’s status as the UFC’s pound-for-pound king and the lightweight king, the Dagestani contending for the largely ceremonial title was not in the books.

Instead, the UFC boss wants to see Makhachev fight Arman Tsarukyan next. The latter, of course, became the official #1 title contender for the 155-pound crown with his victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 (where Max Holloway took the BMF title off of Justin Gaethje) in April. White was clear that he wanted to see Makhachev take on the Armenian next, even as he admitted that the UFC was working on a match-up for the BMF champ. Makhachev was not in the picture.

“We’re working on the BMF title right now, yes. But, you know, Islam is one of the greatest fighters in the world ever in that division, and one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the world so I don’t think he’d be fighting for the BMF. But, you know, the Tsarukyan fight is what we like, that’s the fight we want to do,” White said.

Interestingly, this would not be the first time Makhachev and Tsarukyan meet in the UFC Octagon, even as a lot of water has passed under the bridge since their first fight.

Islam Makhachev could make history in Tsarukyan rematch

Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev have already faced each other in a Fight Night clash back in 2019, which was the Armenian’s UFC’s debut. Still a young, unpolished prospect, the #1 title contender lost a comprehensive unanimous decision to the current champion at the end of the scheduled three rounds.

This time around, however, the former hockey player is likely to be much more of a threat since he has himself admitted that he has come a long way in terms of his abilities, skills, and confidence as a fighter since the two faced each other four years ago.While it may look like just another title defense on the surface, it will be a potentially historic moment.

After his third title defense at UFC 302, Makhachev is tied with Khabib, BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar, and Benson Henderson for the most title defenses in UFC lightweight division history. Should he win against Tsarukyan in their upcoming title bout, Makhachev would have become, statistically, the greatest lightweight champion in UFC history. The lightweight champ looks nowhere near done, which means he has the chance to leave behind a truly special legacy and may yet carve out a corner for himself in the GOAT conversation.

Check out the full results for UFC 302 here. Watch this space for more.