"Put your friendship aside” - Islam Makhachev urged to pursue Belal Muhammad title fight by elite MMA coach 

Islam Makhachev's time at lightweight could come to an end should he pursue his multi-division ambitions.

Having become the most decorated lightweight champion by defending his title for a fourth time against Renato Moicano at UFC 311, the Dagestani fighter has shared his interest in moving to welterweight.

During UFC 311 fight week, Makhachev stated with certainty that before he retired he would become a two-division champion. However, friend and part-time teammate Belal Muhammad currently holds the welterweight title.

This has complicated the 155-pound champion's pursuit of a second belt, and he has indicated he may be eager to skip welterweight and move to middleweight instead.

But elite MMA coach Eric Nicksick, who trains the likes of Francis Ngannou and Sean Strickland, believes that Makhachev should be willing to face Muhammad if double-champ status is what he truly wants.

Nicksick recently appeared on Michael Bisping's podcast, Believe You Me, and said:

"I don't think that jumping that far ahead right now makes a lot of sense when there's still a lot of opportunity at welterweight... If something makes sense matchup-wise, that to me is what you have to look for. What matchups make the most sense? What scenarios make the most sense for him?"

He added:

"Now, are you going to throw [Makhachev] in there with Dricus [Du Plessis] or Sean Strickland right away? I don't know if that's a good call. But I think the welterweight move-up does make a lot of sense... I think you put your friendship aside and you go for greatness."

Catch Eric Nicksick's comments on Islam Makhachev below (3:35):

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Belal Muhammad outlines blueprint for double-champ success for him and Islam Makhachev

Belal Muhammad is expected to defend his title against Shavkat Rakhmonov next, with the pair having previously been scheduled to fight at UFC 310 before an injury forced the welterweight champion to withdraw.

'Remember The Name' believes there is a scenario where both himself and Islam Makhachev can achieve double-champ status without having to fight one another.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Muhammad said:

"I’ve got Shavkat, and then we're still looking to see what’s next... There's a lot of guys in the division, but there's not a clear No. 2 contender. And for me, since I had to take the long road, right, I’ve had five top-10 wins, so I'm at the point where I could win two and then go up to 185 and go for double champ status."

Catch Belal Muhammad's remarks below: