Islam Makhachev has made it clear that he has no intention of returning to the lightweight division, even for a potential fight against Ilia Topuria, Idman.Biz reports.
Speaking on the program “Vse na Match!”, he stressed that he had already been a champion at lightweight and “no one ever beat me” there. After that, he vacated the belt and moved up, adding that dropping back down for another title does not interest him. “I am tired of cutting weight and I have already put it on. Going back down would be very difficult… Most likely, I will finish my career in the 77 kg division,” Makhachev said.
Earlier, the UFC announced that Makhachev had vacated the lightweight title due to his move to the welterweight division. In November 2025, he defeated Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision to become champion in the 77.1 kg category. Meanwhile, Topuria captured the vacant UFC lightweight title by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 and currently holds the belt.
