The UFC's lightweight division is in chaos with no clear-cut contender for Islam Makhachev, according to his last title challenger, Renato Moicano. The Brazilian shared his thoughts on the 155-pound division landscape, calling it a mess.
Speaking on his podcast, Moicano weighed in on who could be next in line to challenge Makhachev. He dismissed Arman Tsarukyan’s chances of securing a title shot, highlighting Tsarukyan’s last-minute withdrawal from his scheduled fight against the Dagestani star at UFC 311.
Moicano expressed that Charles Oliveira is unlikely to get a rematch with Makhachev, as he was dominated in their first fight and has only secured a win over Michael Chandler, who himself has struggled and is currently on a two-fight losing streak.
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The No.10-ranked lightweight believes Justin Gaethje might be the next in line for a title shot, even though he thinks it’s not an exciting matchup for fans. He also dismissed the chances of Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier getting a title shot. Moicano said:
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“I don't know, 155 right now it’s a mess. That's tough because if you look at the top five, we have Arman. Arman is not fighting for the title because he pulled out at the last minute. We have Charles, who lost to Islam and only beat Michael Chandler. Michael Chandler is not in a good position right now, coming off several losses, and he was dominated in wrestling by Charles.”
He continued:
“Then you have Gaethje. I don't want to see Gaethje fighting Islam because he lost to Max Holloway, and then he beat [Rafael] Fiziev. So I don't want to watch that fight. Stylistically, it's not a fight that excites me, but I could see it happening too. And then you see Max Holloway coming off a loss to Topuria. And Charles, like I said, is not fighting. So Dustin Poirier is on his last fight. Right now, it's a mess."
Check out Renato Moicano’s comments below (20:45):
Recently, Makhachev’s team has shown interest in a potential fight against Gaethje. Despite both being at the top of the lightweight rankings, ‘The Highlight’ and the pound-for-pound king have never squared off inside the octagon.
Meanwhile, various reports have emerged claiming that Makhachev rejected a fight against Topuria. ‘El Matador’ recently vacated his 145-pound belt and moved up in pursuit of a second title.
Jon Anik believes Islam Makhachev should choose his next opponent himself
The longtime UFC commentator Jon Anik recently shared a video on X, weighing in on who could be next to challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title. Anik suggested that if it were up to him, he would simply call the reigning champion and ask who he wants to fight next.
“I would call the pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev. I would be like, 'Hey, yo Islam! What'd you think? Who do you wanna fight?”
Check out Jon Anik’s comments below:
