Former UFC champion Michael Bisping has told reigning lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev to hold his horses when it comes to the pursuit of two-division glory.
After winning the gold with a dominant performance against Charles Oliveira in 2022, this year has consisted of two defenses against UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski for Makhachev.
The second, a first-round knockout at UFC 294 in October, came as a result of a late-notice withdrawal from Oliveira. Heading into the new year, “Do Bronx” appears to be one of two options for the Dagestani’s first defense against a 155lber, with ‘BMF’ titleholder Justin Gaethje marking the other.
Islam Makhachev, however, has frequently expressed his desire to shoot for ‘champ-champ’ status himself after denying Volkanovski the feat on two occasions in 2023.
He appeared to reiterate that in the aftermath of the UFC 296 headliner Between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington this past weekend, insisting on social media that he would easily beat both men.
But according to one ex-champ, Islam Makhachev has business to tend to first.
Michael Bisping: Islam Makhachev Must Fight Lightweight Contenders Next
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, former middleweight titleholder Michael Bisping reacted to Makhachev’s latest remarks regarding a venture to the 170-pound weight class.
Although “The Count” acknowledged why Islam Makhachev would target further success, he insisted that the Dagestani has a responsibility to defend his throne against those in contention at 155 pounds first.
And that’s a sentiment he also shared in regards to Edwards, who has expressed interest in adding the middleweight belt to his trophy cabinet in 2024.
“Islam Makhachev has come out and said, ‘That fight (UFC 296 main event) was crap, I would’ve finished the pair of them,’ and he’s calling out Leon Edwards next,” Bisping said. “Of course, I understand him wanting to do that. We all want to be great, we all want to be double champions. But you’ve got to defend against somebody in the lightweight division! It’s as simple as that.
“Your last two fights have been against the featherweight champion, Volkanovski. You’ve gotta give somebody a shot, whether it’s Justin Gathje, Charles Oliveira; whoever else! There’s a ton of contenders in the lightweight division,” Bisping continued. “I understand he wants to fight Leon Edwards… but come on, man. I’m not trying to rip on Leon either, but Leon’s doing the same thing talking about fighting the winner of (Dricus) Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland. That, again, is crazy.”
While many have agreed with Bisping’s take, it certainly isn’t a one-sided debate. On the other end, former two-division UFC champ Henry Cejudo has called on Dana White to book Makhachev opposite Edwards.
