“Islam said that maybe he will move up in weight, so why not?” said Oliveira on another edition of The MMA Hour program. “Maybe then the UFC will decide to play out an interim title and Justin will want to get involved. Gaethje has a great history, he’s a great fighter, a great person and has a lot of experience. But I’m not going to throw challenges and leave messages because I’m a man of action and I prefer to take action”
Ten days ago, Islam Makhachev made his second successful defense of the UFC lightweight title, knocking out Australian Alexander Volkanovski in the first round to replace Charles Oliveira, who pulled out of the fight due to a dissection, on short notice.
In a post-fight interview, the Russian fighter said he wouldn’t mind challenging the winner of the welterweight title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington to headline UFC 296 on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas. According to Makhachev, he plans to personally attend the organization’s final numbered event of the year to watch the potential opponent.