The time is nigh. At long last the UFC world, and Ilia Topuria, will get the answer to the question—will Islam Makhachev fight the former featherweight king next, or will the Dagestani lightweight champ move up and fight for a second title at welterweight? Of course, Makhachev has been waiting for the result of the UFC 315 Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena clash on Saturday to make his decision.

If the lightweight champ’s friend, Muhammad, retains his welterweight title, Makhachev is expected to stay and lightweight and fight Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 on June 28. If, however, ‘JDM’ dethrones ‘Bully B’, Makhachev will move up and contend for the 170-pound crown since he desperately wants to be a two-division champ. And Ilia Topuria, who is already in camp, preparing for UFC 317, had a brief message for the lightweight champ ahead of UFC 315.

“Happy Saturday #MAKHACHEVMMA,” the Spanish-Georgian superstar wrote along with a video of him training.

But what if Topuria doesn’t get to fight Makhachev at UFC 317? Who will he fight then? Well, Dana White has confirmed that then ‘El Matador’ (yes, Topuria has changed his moniker yet again and went back to the original) will face former champion Charles Oliveira. And it will not be for the undisputed title.

Islam Makhachev wants to keep the title even if he moves up to 170

“This Saturday’s main event [at UFC 315] will define what my next move is. But regardless of the outcome of that fight, I’m not going to vacate my lightweight title! We might get a real contender there!” Islam Makhachev wrote on X, officially confirming that he would move up if Belal Muhammad loses the title.

And as you may have noticed, the Dagestani has every intention of keeping his lightweight title with him so that he could become only the sixth concurrent double champ in the UFC– something not even Khabib Nurmagomedov was able to do. The UFC may have other ideas, but that is a conversation for Makhachev and the UFC to have.

But as things stand, if ‘JDM’ beats Belal Muhammad wins this weekend, ‘El Matador’ will get to fight for the lightweight title, but it will be the interim one, nor would it be a generational super-fight against Islam Makhachev. But in good news, Makhachev does want to keep his 155-pound title, so presumably wants to defend it again. Not to mention, things could work out perfectly for Topuria, if only Belal Muhammad wins at UFC 315. What do you think about Ilia Topuria’s message for Islam Makhachev ahead of UFC 315?