After claiming the welterweight championship at UFC 322, Islam Makhachev named Kamaru Usman as his preferred opponent for his first title defense. While the Dagestani juggernaut stayed open to other matchups, he made it clear that a fight with the former pound-for-pound king would be a true legacy bout. Usman welcomed the idea as well, and fans quickly began circling the potential showdown. But while that superfight talk was gaining traction, Makhachev found himself in a heated verbal clash with Michael Morales.

Recently, Tapology briefly removed Morales’ undefeated status, citing a loss to Ricardo Centeno at Ultima Pelea Season 2. Fans and analysts quickly pointed out that the bout was an exhibition, similar to The Ultimate Fighter format. Soon after, the site restored Morales’ 19-0 record. Even so, the situation gave Makhachev an opening to take a shot at the rising welterweight. 

Islam Makhachev and Michael Morales trade words in a heated back-and-forth

“👀 Islam Makhachev named Michael Morales as his next desired opponent as well as Usman, commented on his recent professional record changes. Morales was not undefeated a few days ago, but today he’s undefeated again. I don’t know how they removed it. I saw the cage fight—he got choked out, and then they announced it was an exhibition match. Well then, he needs to be choked out again,” Championship Rounds posted from Makhachev’s interview on Match TV.

Makhachev’s words instantly lit up social media. And once they reached Morales, the Ecuadorian prospect wasted no time responding. Morales fired back by reminding fans of the Dagestani’s lone UFC loss, a first-round knockout against Adriano Martins at UFC 192, and promised to repeat history.

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“Makhachev’s already been knocked out once, time to knock him out again,” Michael Morales posted on X, according to Ecuador Comunicación.

Well, the reaction might surprise fans, but this was not the first time Morales had taken a shot at the Dagestani champion. After Makhachev dominated Jack Della Maddalena for nearly 20 minutes in a 25-minute title fight, the Ecuadorian powerhouse posted on X, “Two, three years in Tijuana and you’ll learn how to knock someone out.”

So the tension between the two welterweights has been building for a while now. And while Makhachev continues to stir the pot across the division, the 170-pound king is also chasing a superfight vs Ilia Topuria that he believes would not add much to his legacy.

The Dagestani icon opens door to Ilia Topuria superfight in a risk-all battle

Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev’s superfight has been a dream matchup for UFC fans. Both have shown interest in fighting at the UFC White House event, with ‘El Matador’ even teasing a move to 170 lbs in search of a third title. Now, while the Dagestani understands the fight would break viewership records, he also feels it offers him very little in return.

“One hundred percent. I’ve already been the lightweight champion, and I’m definitely not going down. And for him, I’ll repeat: He doesn’t lose anything by moving up. For me, it wouldn’t make sense to call out someone from a lower weight who just became champion. He hasn’t proven anything in lightweight yet,” Makhachev said as per Match TV in Russian, translated by Championship Rounds.

As the welterweight champion pointed out, if Topuria moves up and challenges him, the matchup benefits the Georgian-Spaniard far more. A win at the superfight would make Topuria one of the greatest of all time with a third belt. But on the other hand, if Islam wins, he would only add another elite name to his resume without gaining a title.

Even with that reality, Makhachev made it clear he is not against the idea. “I’m open to it. No problem,” he said in the interview. So, despite the lack of glory, the Dagestani still seems ready to collide with the lightweight champion in a true superfight.

That said, with so many options on the table, which fight do you think the UFC will make for Islam Makhachev when he finally returns to the Octagon? Let us know in the comments section below.