Overlooking Khamzat Chimaev, Ilia Topuria, and other stars, Robert Whittaker crowns Islam Makhachev the UFC’s true poster boy

Robert Whittaker believes Islam Makhachev has turned out to be the fighter the UFC depends on most, even with undefeated stars like Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev carrying championship momentum. His view may surprise some, as Makhachev recently vacated his lightweight title after four successful defences.

Although he no longer holds a belt, he remains second in the pound-for-pound rankings and is scheduled to fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in November. For Whittaker, those factors are enough to keep Makhachev in a different conversation from his peers.

Speaking on the matchup between Makhachev and Della Maddalena, Whittaker admitted he was surprised that the Dagestani vacated his lightweight title but believes it sets the division free to move forward. Whittaker suggested that double champions stall weight classes and that the UFC appears to be moving away from that model.

Speaking in a recent conversation on the MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker said:

"You know what I think was unexpected was the relinquishing of the lightweight title... I expected, in a sense, that because Topuria did it, people would have to follow suit. But Islam's kind of like the poster boy right now for the UFC in terms of like mega star sort of things, right? I didn’t see them doing that."

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below (16:20):

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Robert Whittaker believes Islam Makhachev has everything to lose at UFC 322

Robert Whittaker believes Islam Makhachev carries more risk than reward when he faces Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. The Russian vacated his lightweight belt earlier this year and now moves up to welterweight to face the Australian champion.

While Makhachev enters as the early betting favorite, Whittaker argues that Maddalena’s striking, size, and underrated grappling make him a dangerous matchup. Speaking in the aforementioned episode of the MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker said:

“People sleep on Jack’s grappling game and his jiu-jitsu. I don’t think Islam is gonna be as gung-ho with the takedowns as everyone believes because Jack has that level of offense off his back... I don’t think either of them is overly superior in any way… Jack has nothing to lose, and Islam’s got everything to lose. He’s the hottest prospect right now in MMA."