Exclusive: Veteran UFC welterweight, who once beat Belal Muhammad, makes his feelings known about Islam Makhachev moving up to 170 pounds

It's no secret that Islam Makhachev has been keen on a welterweight move for quite some time and is aiming to become a two-division champion. Given that Makhachev could be granted his wish, Geoff Neal recently shared his thoughts on the reigning lightweight king moving up to the 170-pound division.

After beating Renato Moicano at UFC 311 via first-round submission last month, Makhachev outlined his desire to move up in weight and even called for a middleweight title clash against Dricus du Plessis. Given that Makhachev has beaten most of the top contenders in the 155-pound division, it also appears he doesn't see any exciting challenges for himself in his weight class anymore.

Given that welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is also looking for a middleweight move, clearing the path for his close associate and training partner Makhachev to enter the 170-pound division, it would be unsurprising to see him move up a weight class and become a two-division UFC champion.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Neal shared his take on Makhachev potentially moving up to welterweight. Admitting that the Dagestani grappling savant would do well at 170 pounds, he said:

"I feel like he'll be in the top ten for sure. As for becoming a champion or whatever... He's good enough. His wrestling's super good. He'll get through a lot of people but I'll beat his a**."

Catch Geoff Neal's comments below (11:49):

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Dustin Poirier talks Islam Makhachev potentially moving up to welterweight

Islam Makhachev's former rival, Dustin Poirier, recently shared his thoughts on the lightweight champion challenging at 170 pounds. Despite their rivalry, 'The Diamond' believes Makhachev would do well at welterweight.

In a recent interview with MMA journalist Helen Yee, Poirier shared his two cents on Makhachev's move up to welterweight or middleweight. He stated:

"I think he [Makhachev] would do really good at 170 [welterweight]. But at 185 [middleweight], the guys are just too big. Islam’s a big guy [too]. He can fight at 170 for sure. He can become the champion at 170, I believe. But, [moving to] 185 is pushing it [a bit too much], I think."