Islam Makhachev is rumored to be preparing for his first-ever UFC welterweight title defense, and a high-level teammate has weighed in on the discourse. The combatant in question is Gadzhi Rabadanov who clashes with Alex Chizov in the PFL Sioux Falls co-main event on May 2nd.
There are reports out there centred on Islam Makhachev verbally agreeing to his first UFC welterweight title defense and that he has already started a training camp. When touching upon the rumblings of the UFC pound for pound elite returning to the cage to embark on this big legacy move in his career, Rabadanov said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Yeah, he [Islam Makhachev] started his training camp. Now he’s in [the] mountains. He train, he start his training camp. Maybe soon they going to show who his next opponent [is]. But I know he started. He’s trained out right now. He’s prepared.”
Islam Makhachev has his next opponent seemingly leaked by a top UFC welterweight contender
Islam Makhachev’s next opponent may have just been mentioned by a fellow divisional peer, who has his own high-stakes welterweight matchup this weekend. The fighter in question is Carlos Prates, who takes on the man that Makhachev claimed the 170-pound crown from. Jack Della Maddalena is that ex-titleholder and he will be the partisan pugilist at UFC Perth when JDM does battle with Prates on Saturday.
With some theorizing Makhachev will fight in August at UFC 330, when offering his thoughts on who he thinks that first UFC welterweight title defense would come against, in an interview with MMA Fighting, Prates stated [via Bloody Elbow],
“You have Ian [Machado Garry], he’s going to fight now against Makhachev, so the next [one] is going to be Carlos Prates.”
Prates has his own history with Machado Garry with the latter defeating the former on points in April of last year. This transpired at UFC on ESPN 66 in the fight night headlining bout.