Islam Makhachev admits Belal Muhammad “Broke his plans” for UFC double champ run

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev plans to change course after Belal Muhammad’s welterweight title victory.

Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards by unanimous decision to capture the UFC welterweight title last Saturday in Manchester. After a long road to the welterweight title shot, Muhammad made the most of his opportunity and put on a largely dominant performance to dethrone Edwards.

Muhammad and Makhachev are both top understudies of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team. Makhachev, after beating Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, teased a potential move to welterweight to challenge for the belt.

But, Muhammad’s title victory has delayed those plans, and Makhachev has no intentions of fighting against his teammate.

Islam Makhachev reacts to teammate Belal Muhammad’s title win

During a recent Q+A session ahead of UFC Abu Dhabi, Makhachev seemed to indefinitely postpone his planned welterweight move following Muhammad’s victory.

“Belal didn’t give him any chance,” Makhachev said of Muhammad’s title win. “Smash him everywhere. He make us nervous a little bit with a couple of positions, but now Belal is the champion. This guy broke my plans to be double champion.

“But I am really happy for him and happy for his country. He deserves it.” (h/t MMA Fighting)

Muhammad will likely face the unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov for his first title defense, targeted for later this year. Rakhmonov has defeated the likes of Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal during his ongoing win streak.

Muhammad hasn’t lost a fight since 2019, defeating the likes of Vicente Luque and Gilbert Burns en route to the title. Like Makhachev, he’s also teased a future move to middleweight for the chance to become a double champion.

The chances of a Makhachev vs. Muhammad superfight are seemingly off the table after the lightweight champ’s recent remarks. If Makhachev attains championships in two weight classes, it won’t be at Muhammad’s expense.