“We had lunch with him a couple days ago,” the head of the organization told a press conference in Las Vegas. “We didn’t really talk about fights. We talked about family and other things. I don’t know yet, but I’d like to see him at lightweight.”
A few hours earlier, Leon Edwards successfully defended his championship belt by defeating Colby Covington by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 296.
Islam Makhachev, who leads the rankings of the organization’s best fighters regardless of weight class, last stepped into the octagon on October 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, knocking out Australian Alexander Volkanovski in the first round. In a recent interview, the Russian fighter said he may take part in UFC 299, which will take place March 9 in Miami.