"Obviously Conor is an exception" - Paul Felder claims Islam Makhachev doesn't deserve shot at becoming two-division champion yet

Paul Felder recently shared his two cents on Islam Makhachev wanting to move up in weight and challenge for a second UFC title.

Earlier this month, Makhachev opened up about his future plans, saying that he's keen on moving up to welterweight and challenging Leon Edwards for the 170-pound title. He also stated that the idea of becoming a two-division champion motivated him and would be a dream come true if he could make it happen.

Meanwhile, 'Rocky' also expressed an interest in moving up to middleweight and potentially challenging the winner of UFC 297's headlining title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.

While some fans are intrigued by the idea of Makhachev and Edwards competing in higher weight classes, Felder isn't on board with their plans. 'The Irish Dragon' slammed the 155-pound champion for not clearing out his division during a recent episode of the UFC 296 Round-Up show with Michael Chiesa and said:

"We got Islam Makhachev out there saying he should be next for the welterweight belt. Guys, stay in your freaking divisions, reign over your division. Can we get dominant champions before you all start wanting to fight for other belts? It didn’t used to be like this... Obviously, Conor (McGregor) is an exception. He did it; it was craziness. He was a superstar."

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Bo Nickal on a potential Leon Edwards vs. Islam Makhachev fight

Bo Nickal recently weighed in on a potential Leon Edwards vs. Islam Makhachev super fight. The fast-rising middleweight contender believes the Englishman would get his hand raised against Makhachev despite the Dagestani grappling phenom's impeccable Sambo pedigree.

'Rocky' dominated Colby Covington toward a unanimous decision at UFC 296 earlier this month. Despite Covington's elite-level wrestling, Edwards looked comfortable throughout the fight, notably dispatching another grappling maestro after defeating Kamaru Usman in back-to-back title fights.

In a recent YouTube video, Nickal discussed a potential Edwards-Makhachev fight and speculated that the Englishman's bigger frame would be a massive problem for the lightweight champion. He said:

"Islam coming up? Even though he’s a big 155'er, Leon’s big. Leon can freaking strike. Colby was able to hold him down a good amount, so who knows?... And Islam, he’s not a 100 percent grappler. He tries to strike a lot with all the guys he’s fought pretty much."

Catch Bo Nickal's comments below (14:20):