After surpassing mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov with four title defenses in the lightweight division, Islam Makhachev had already made it clear what he wanted next. “I’m not gonna leave this sport without a second belt. This is my goal,” the Dagestani iterated ahead of UFC 311 and thus solidifying his intentions to do what even his mentor couldn’t do in his career. But it seems like not everybody is happy about the 155lbs kingpin expressing interest in making a move up a weight class while holding an undisputed title already.

Ilia Topuria recently made his jump to the lightweight division after vacating the featherweight title with one defense to his name. He mentioned his own ambitions to clinch a second strap and not wanting to hold up the division, which is why he dropped the belt. As such, former champion Charles Oliveira‘s manager has called for Makhachev to make the same sacrifice as ‘La Leyenda’.

“Then [if Islam moves to 170 lbs] he should lose the belt. It’s like Topuria,” Diego Lima stated as reported by ‘MMA Fighting’. However, there’s always the option of the interim title. The idea of that title is quite a polarizing one, but Oliveira’s manager believes it would serve as a means to keep the lightweight division active while Makhachev goes on his welterweight title hunt or makes his plans on the sidelines if he refuses to vacate his lightweight title.

“I think the UFC will ask him to choose. If he says, ‘I’ll fight [at 170 lbs], then they have to create an interim… Personally, I think it’s absurd to hold an entire division,” Oliveira’s manager further stated. “When an athlete goes up, he has to either drop his belt or create an interim title. When a fighter starts to take too long thinking [about] what he’ll do, then it’s time to create an interim.”

Recently, Dustin Poirier revealed the reason why he decided to finally hang up his gloves after one more fight. In his confession, the veteran star claimed that he can still put on fights, but admitted to not having any more motivation to rack up a few wins to make it back into a title fight one more time. Similarly, the former champ’s manager argued the same in his attempt to substantiate the need for Makhachev to vacate the title or the introduction of an interim title in his absence in the 155 lbs division.

“The division must move, man. Fighters fight a lot to get to the belt. And when they get there, they want to sit on the belt. It shouldn’t be like that, man,” Diego Lima added.

While it remains to be seen how Dana White navigates this situation involving Islam Makhachev, the lightweight champion might be happy to hear what one of the 170 lbs fighters had to say about him potentially fighting for the title. That’s because it’s all in the positive. Here’s what he had to say!

Top welterweight contender is open to let Islam Makhachev ‘jump the queue’

Ian Garry recently acquired the backup role for the main event title fight of UFC 315 between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena after his win over Carlos Prates. The Irishman was livid when he learnt that the Australian fighter was getting the title shot ahead of him, expressing his displeasure online. “I’m not fighting for a world title, because I’m coming off a loss, and they’re giving it to a guy who’s been injured for a year, and they think that’s more exciting, but they’re wrong,” Garry stated on Instagram.

However, the story is different when it comes to Islam Makhachev. Garry claimed he’s willing to step aside and let the lightweight champion fight for the title, since he’s the rightful pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC. That appears to be the prime factor based on which ‘The Future’ has expressed his support for the Dagestan native, as he claims that nobody in the division would have a problem with that.

“He can jump the queue if he wants to, he’s Islam Makhachev, he’s the pound-for-pound number one. You’ve gotta give respect when respect is due,” Ian Garry stated in an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri. “And if that man turns up and says ‘I want to be next’, I think everyone in the welterweight division gives the ‘OK’. And I think if you try to argue that, you don’t have respect for the greatest in the world.”

Well, there’s speculation that maybe Islam Makhachev still has some business in the lightweight division, especially a potential fight against Ilia Topuria. But until we get any further updates on his next move, let us know your thoughts on Charles Oliveira’s manager’s comments.