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One of Islam Makhachev's teammates recently shared his thoughts on his welterweight aspirations and expressed his desire to see him in a more appealing bout. He noted that Makhachev could move up to 170 pounds but highlighted the massive marquee bout that is currently available for him at 155 pounds.
Makhachev has expressed interest in becoming a two-division UFC champion, but his friendship with current champion Belal Muhammad has resulted in him remaining at lightweight. The outcome of UFC 315 this Saturday could change that as Jack Della Maddalena dethroning Muhammad could clear the path for the Dagestani to move up to 170 pounds.
During his latest appearance on Submission Radio, Makhachev's AKA teammate Luke Rockhold addressed whether he believes the lightweight champion will move up to welterweight. Rockhold mentioned that he does envision the move but steered the lightweight champion to defend his title against Ilia Topuria:
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"I really like the Islam [vs.] Topuria fight, is probably the sexiest fight in the company, I think right now, for me. That and Jon Jones [vs. Tom Aspinall]. But that's a pretty fu**ing amazing fight. I'd hate to see that not happen, come to fruition, but we'll see."
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Check out the full interview featuring Luke Rockhold's comments regarding Islam Makhachev [13:04] below:
Luke Rockhold says Islam Makhachev could be successful at welterweight
Luke Rockhold also said that he believes Islam Makhachev could be just as successful at welterweight as he has been at lightweight.
In the aforementioned appearance, Rockhold mentioned that although he doesn't believe Makhachev would dominate the division, he noted that he matches up well with the top contenders at 170 pounds:
"[Makhachev's] not going to dominate the [welterweight] division that way, but I'm sure he's bigger, he's stronger. It's been a long time since I've had a chance to train with him, and we all grow, and we all grow in so many ways. So, I think he matches up really well with these guys. He's got to put on the muscle and bulk up some bit." [13:54]
Check out Islam Makhachev's reaction following his latest win below:
