“This Saturday’s main event will define what my next move is. But regardless of the outcome of that fight, I’m not going to vacate my lightweight title! We might get a real contender there!” Islam Makhachev posted on X, firmly holding on to his lightweight crown. Now that the UFC 315 main event verdict is clear, the question arises: With the UFC 315 main event now in the books, the real question is—will the reigning lightweight champ give up his title to challenge Jack Della Maddalena next? Well, Daniel Cormier might’ve just leaked some of Chael Sonnen’s secret info.
Everyone knows by now that the 155-pound king has his sights set on double-champ status. But the question of whether he’d fight while holding onto his lightweight title sparked plenty of discussion among fans. Why? Ilia Topuria jumped divisions without a title defense, sparking talk that this could become the new trend for future double champs. A claim Diego Lopes mentioned in an ESPN interview before his UFC 314 fight, one that White later completely shut down.
Daniel Cormier was also one of those who believed that Makhachev might have been stripped of his belt. However, in the Good Guy / Bad Guy show, the former two-division champion in a discussion with Chael Sonnen revealed that he got to know that Dana White himself doesn’t want the current lightweight champ to vacate his belt.
‘DC’ said, “After Ilia went up, he had to give up the belt at 145 lbs. The moment those guys started fighting, Volkavovski and Lopez started; he’s not the champ anymore. It felt like Islam was going to have to do the same thing! But, not only does Islam come back and say, ‘I’m not given the title.’ In the green room, you told me, Dana said, he’s not taking the belt off Islam.”
January 18, 2025, Inglewood, California, USA: ISLAM MAKHACHEV 27-1-0 of Makhachkala, Russia defeats RENATO MOICANO 20-6-1 of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil by submission DÃââ Arce choke at 4:05 of round 1 during UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California Inglewood USA – ZUMAo117 20250118_zsp_o117_030 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
That’s definitely an interesting reveal. White not wanting Islam Makhachev to vacate his belt might be a sign he doesn’t want him making a permanent move to the welterweight division. But why? It could be that the promotion still has its eyes on the Ilia Topuria superfight, especially since that bout likely won’t happen at International Fight Week. And if the Dagestani juggernaut somehow fails to capture the welterweight title, that big matchup remains on the table.
So, does that leave International Fight Week with an interim title on the line? Probably yes. We might see Ilia Topuria face Charles Oliveira in what would essentially be an eliminator bout. However, there’s a catch, and Chael Sonnen has an explanation for that.
Chael Sonnen points out the problem for the Interim Fight at UFC 317
UFC 317, set to take place during International Fight Week, might end up without a proper championship fight. Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira would be an outstanding matchup, but fighting for an interim belt doesn’t carry the same shine as the real title, which still sits on Islam Makhachev’s shoulders. However, Chael Sonnen believes even that wouldn’t make much sense, arguing it would defeat the whole purpose of having an interim belt in the first place.
Sonnen said, “If Ilia is going to fight for a title, it must be an interim championship. But you only create an interim championship in the absence of an undisputed champion. If Islam is well, if he’s healthy, if he’s here at licensed, you don’t have an interim title. You do what they did with Ilia Topuria,which is you take one belt and open up a new opportunity. I hope that this gets stared up a little bit closer.”
That’s an absolutely spot-on assessment by ‘The Bad Guy’. Topuria and Oliveira fighting for an interim belt does somewhat defeat the purpose, but in the UFC, the interim title is generally seen as the next biggest prize when the actual belt can’t be on the line. It adds a sense of grandeur and makes the fight feel significant. And in this case, that’s exactly what it looks like they’re aiming for.
With that being said, do you think that Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira fight for the interim title? Or are you going to a new belt that popped out of nowhere, just like the symbolic BMF belt? Please let us know your thoughts by commenting below.
The post Dana White’s Plan for Islam Makhachev Revealed As Daniel Cormier Slips Chael Sonnen’s Inside Scoop appeared first on EssentiallySports.
