Dana White sheds light on the process that will decide Islam Makhachev's next fight, gives cryptic answer to Ilia Topuria rumor

Dana White recently opened up about Islam Makhachev's future, which was followed by his take on a potential Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria matchup. White revealed that nothing has been confirmed yet, as many factors are considered when determining a fighter's shot at UFC gold.

Notably, Topuria has vacated his featherweight title in pursuit of the lightweight championship. However, the reigning lightweight champion has already stated his desire to go up to welterweight to fulfill his dream of being a double champion.

During the UFC 313 post-fight press conference this past weekend, White was asked about the process behind choosing Makhachev's next opponent, with several options available. The UFC CEO cited several factors that come into play while scheduling a title fight, saying:

''You guys know there's a lot of different factors that play out when we start talking about who's fighting next. Injuries, timing of when they want to fight, when they don't want to fight, geographically where we end up, so there's a lot of different things determine whether a guy fights for the title and when.''

When asked about Topuria hinting at a major fight on social media, White said:

''I don't know, that I don't know. Probably''

Check out Dana White's comments below:

Topuria has previously expressed his confidence in defeating Makhachev. 'El Matador' shocked the world when he captured the 145-pound belt by securing a devastating knockout win against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298.

At UFC 308 last year, he made his first title defense by putting on another masterclass against Max Holloway, becoming the first fighter to knock out 'Blessed'.

Meanwhile, Makhachev took on Renato Moicano at UFC 311 earlier this year and submitted him via an opening-round submission, marking his fourth title defense, a record at 155 pounds.

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Dana White weighs in on potential Islam Makhachev vs. Justin Gaethje fight

Justin Gaethje is one of several names linked to Islam Makhachev for his next title defense. Gaethje strengthened his case for a title shot by defeating Rafael Fiziev by unanimous decision at UFC 313 this past weekend.

During the post-fight press conference, Dana White was asked about Gaethje getting a title shot, to which he replied:

''I mean, what’s he ranked right now? Fourth or something, right? Third, there you go. He’s still the No. 3-ranked guy in the world, so the odds of him getting a title shot are pretty good.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Check out Dana White's comments below: