Islam Makhachev has come under intense scrutiny for rejecting the proposed title defense against Carlos Prates at UFC 336 in January. His snub forced Dana White and team to put together an interim welterweight title bout in an effort to keep the division from stalling. While the development placed Makhachev under the spotlight, some, like former champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo, believe the criticism against the champ is unwarranted.

“Islam Makhachev is right on this one, Kamaru,” Cejudo said on Pound 4 Pound podcast. “I was thinking the same thing. If I was Islam, I’d be like, ‘Dude, how come these guys don’t fight each other? Let me fight the best dude.’ Like, you know what I’m saying? He said that before.”

Cejudo’s comments center around Makhachev’s stance on not taking the previously planned fight with Prates.

During an interview with Pound 4 Padel, a sports brand he founded, Makhachev argued that he’s coming off a successful title defense against Ian Machado Garry, who had previously outpointed Prates in April 2025.

UFC’s move to match him against a fighter who was, as he remarked in a tweet a couple of days ago, chased “around the Octagon for five rounds” by Ian Garry left Makhachev puzzled.

From a practical viewpoint, the UFC welterweight champion likely wants to prevent a divisional logjam. If he had gone ahead with the Prates fight and won, then the development would have opened the doors for another matchup against Michael Morales.

Although a formidable fighter with an unbeaten record, Morales’ resume has yet to feature a win against a top-tier name, which justifies a shot at Makhachev’s title. The Ecuadorian fighter should therefore first settle the argument with Prates before earning an opportunity to face Makhachev.

Cejudo brought up this very point.

“(Makhachev) said that before in the past, in his press conference, as a matter of fact, you know, he said, ‘How come these guys don’t fight each other?’ So it was already premeditated with Islam since the beginning, if you think about it,” Cejudo added. “I agree with Islam. As a champion, you want the number one contenders to fight each other.”

The incident Cejudo was referring to occurred when Makhachev held the lightweight title. At the post-fight press conference of UFC 294, in which he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski during their rematch, Makhachev was asked about his next title defense.

“I don’t know what UFC plans, but I never choose,” Makhachev had said. “But I need some new name, you know? I already beat Oliveira… I need a new story. Gaethje? I think Gaethje and Oliveira should fight each other first. Let them figure out who is the best, and I will face the winner.”

The situation had become complicated as top contenders like Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira awaited a title opportunity.

Beyond Islam Makhachev: When champions demand more from their contenders

As Makhachev headed into his next title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, Gaethje, who held the BMF title at the time, reportedly campaigned for a title shot. Around the same time, Oliveira was lined up for a lightweight title eliminator against Arman Tsarukyan.

Both Gaethje and Oliveira, who had previously fought at UFC 274 with Oliveira winning by first-round submission, suffered defeats in their next matchups. Featuring at UFC 300, while Gaethje lost his BMF belt to Max Holloway, Oliveira lost the title eliminator to Tsarukyan by a split decision.

The setbacks aligned with Makhachev’s argument that champions shouldn’t be lined up against contenders who are coming off losses or fighters who are yet to separate themselves from the pack.

Setting the stage for Makhachev’s championship defense, the interim title fight between Prates and Morales looks more appealing, Cejudo remarked.

“Now we get a chance to see who is going to fight Islam Makhachev. You know what I’m saying, Michael Morales and Carlos Prates? That’s a banger; that’s a main event of its own; that’s a pay-per-view main event,” he said.

Makhachev is not the only champion in UFC history to have taken such a stand.

Notable examples include Georges St-Pierre, who, reports indicate, used to let the UFC matchmakers sort out the division before setting up a matchup against the number-one contender. Jon Jones has a history of shutting down top-ranked contenders, telling them to set the record clear before approaching him for a fight.

Speaking about a potential matchup with Tom Aspinall, who held the interim heavyweight title at the time, Jones remarked on his lack of big wins against notable contenders as well as multiple losses on his record.

“I noticed, with Tom, that he has taken losses in the middle of his career,” Jon Jones said. “He started fighting at a young age but got tapped out at a late age.

“When I was 23, I was fighting the top guys in the world. I am seeing Tom at the same age get manhandled by people that nobody has heard of…Just because someone is new and exciting, it doesn’t mean they replace what is already here.”

Tyron Woodley once said, “Everybody wants the title. Everybody wants to fight me. Everybody thinks they can beat me….”

Even two-division champion Amanda Nunes is reported to have demanded that potential challengers should first establish themselves and move up to her level before claiming a shot at her title.

Given that history, Makhachev feels that, as a two-division champion, he is entitled to expect fighters who want to claim his title to first reach his level.