Islam Makhachev deemed an “unrealistic” candidate for UFC double champion status by MMA analyst: “Attuned to a specific weight class”

MMA analyst Luke Thomas believes Islam Makhachev wouldn't be able to defend two world titles in the UFC due to potential weight-cutting issues.

Over the past two years, Makhachev has defended his UFC lightweight throne against Alexander Volkanovski twice, Dustin Poirier, and Renato Moicano.

The pound-for-pound king has recently turned his focus to becoming a two-division world champion, with his eyes set on the welterweight or middleweight straps.

During an appearance on Submission Radio, well-respected analyst Luke Thomas had this to say about Makhachev not being able to defend two titles simultaneously:

"Can he make that weight going up and down, up and down, up and down, up and down like that? It's unrealistic. It's just totally unrealistic. You could do it for a little while. If you were a small heavyweight and you wanted to hold the 205 title at the same time, I think that could be a little bit more doable."

Thomas followed up by saying:

"These guys man, their bodies are attuned to a very specific weight class, process, system. You start tinkering with that, everything gets much more difficult. He struggles to make 155. Obviously, he can make 170, I don't think that's really an issue. Just the alteration to your body and then staying active, no, he cannot defend two titles at once, no."

Watch Luke Thomas' comments about Islam Makhachev starting at 13:45 below:

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Islam Makhachev connected to rumors of lightweight title defense against Ilia Topuria

Islam Makhachev was supposed to defend his lightweight strap against Arman Tsarukyan on Jan. 18 in the UFC 311 main event. Tsarukyan pulled out during fight week due to a back injury. Renato Moicano stepped in on short notice and lost by first-round submission.

Dana White later claimed that Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan wouldn't be rebooked until the latter defeated another top contender.

Instead, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has reported that Makhachev might defend his 155-pound throne against Ilia Topuria.

Topuria recently vacated his UFC featherweight title to permanently move up to lightweight, decreasing his drastic weight cut.

Topuria is coming off a legendary two-fight run in 2024 that saw him knock out former UFC champions Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.