Islam Makhachev Has Next Fight Ready, Clears Air on White House Card Snub
Pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev has started training for his next fight. The Russian phenom won the 170-pound strap last year on his welterweight debut after ragdolling Jack Della Maddalena for more than 19 minutes.
The two-division UFC champion is expected to make the first defense of his welterweight strap in August, and Ian Machado Garry, the No. 2 contender, is expected to lock horns with him.
Garry and Makhachev have been trading barbs online after “The Future” mocked Makhachev repeatedly for delaying their fight, citing various reasons.
Makhachev injured his hand earlier this year; however, now it has healed completely, as training footage suggests.
Islam Makhachev’s next opponent is already set
During a recent interview with Ushatayka, Islam Makhachev revealed that his next opponent is already set and verbally known, but no official fight contract has been signed so far.
“Well, the opponent is verbally known, but no confirmed agreements signed or contracts at the moment, there are none. But I have already started my basic stage of preparation.”
Speaking about the scrapped White House superfight with Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev said he was ready to face any opponent on June 14. However, the fight fell through after his opponent demanded a hefty purse, leading the promotion to cancel the bout altogether.
“They called me. Confirmed the fight. Agreed. Well, they gave, and I gave verbal consent. They did not send the contract. The next day, they called me to say that the opponent requested some kind of huge fees, and the UFC simply refused, and it is no longer relevant.”
Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments below:
