{"id":5197,"date":"2025-01-20T19:33:12","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T18:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=5197"},"modified":"2025-01-21T19:41:01","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T18:41:01","slug":"title-whats-next-for-makhachev-after-his-dominant-victory-at-ufc-311","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/title-whats-next-for-makhachev-after-his-dominant-victory-at-ufc-311\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;What\u2019s Next for Makhachev After His Dominant Victory at UFC 311?&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words text-start [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"33bff6c5-ec68-45b6-a75b-8189b246bb7e\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">After Saturday night, where Islam Makhachev showcased his brilliance by swiftly defeating Renato Moicano in the <strong>UFC 311<\/strong> main event, the conversation now revolves around what\u2019s next for the undefeated champion.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Makhachev Solidifies His Dominance<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite a last-minute opponent change, with Moicano stepping in for Arman Tsarukyan, Makhachev proved he\u2019s ready for any challenge. Using his signature tactical prowess, he forced Moicano to submit via a tight D\u2019Arce choke, extending his winning streak to 15 consecutive fights.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>&#8220;It doesn\u2019t matter who stands in front of me, just send anyone weighing 70 kg!&#8221;<\/em> Makhachev declared confidently post-fight, reflecting his unshakable belief in his abilities.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_49776\"  width=\"696\" height=\"391\"  data-origwidth=\"696\" data-origheight=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1FfV_OT-o2o?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Discussion About Moving Up<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the post-fight press conference, Makhachev outlined his new goals:<br \/>\n<em>&#8220;I won\u2019t leave this sport without a second belt. I want to become a double champion.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This statement fuels speculation about his potential move to the welterweight division, where exciting challenges await, including a possible clash with current champion Belal Muhammad.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Challenges in the Lightweight Division<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite his aspirations for a new weight class, one question remains: will he face a lightweight contender before moving up?<br \/>\nIlia Topuria, the featherweight champion, has made his challenge to Makhachev clear:<br \/>\n<em>&#8220;If you want, I can finish you. I\u2019ll make it look easy.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@tntsports\/video\/7462330413365628193\" data-video-id=\"7462330413365628193\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\" style=\"max-width:605px; min-width:325px;\">\n<section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@tntsports\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@tntsports?refer=embed\">@tntsports<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>What is next for Islam Makhachev? \ud83c\udfc6 Watch the <a title=\"ufc311\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/ufc311?refer=embed\">#UFC311<\/a> review show with Michael Bisping, Adam Catterall, and Nick Peet on TNT Sports YouTube now \u25b6\ufe0f <a title=\"ufc\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/ufc?refer=embed\">#ufc<\/a> <a title=\"mma\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/mma?refer=embed\">#mma<\/a> <a title=\"ko\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/ko?refer=embed\">#ko<\/a> <a title=\"knockout\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/knockout?refer=embed\">#knockout<\/a> <a title=\"boxing\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/boxing?refer=embed\">#boxing<\/a> <a title=\"bisping\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/bisping?refer=embed\">#bisping<\/a> <a title=\"fight\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/fight?refer=embed\">#fight<\/a> <a title=\"islammakhachev\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/islammakhachev?refer=embed\">#islammakhachev<\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - TNT Sports\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7462330707667323680?refer=embed\">\u266c original sound &#8211; TNT Sports<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Makhachev\u2019s Options<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Makhachev has multiple paths ahead:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Move up to welterweight to challenge Belal Muhammad and aim for a second title.<\/li>\n<li>Take on challenges in the lightweight division, such as facing Ilia Topuria or rescheduling the fight with Arman Tsarukyan.<\/li>\n<li>Continue his dominance in the lightweight division, further building on his remarkable winning streak.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>The Debate Continues<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">MMA fans are split on what Makhachev should do next. Should he take the risk and move up to welterweight? Or stay in his division and face fresh challenges?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>What do you think? Share your predictions on the Dagestani champion\u2019s next step.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After Saturday night, where Islam Makhachev showcased his brilliance by swiftly defeating Renato Moicano in the UFC 311 main event, the conversation now revolves around what\u2019s next for the undefeated champion. Makhachev Solidifies His Dominance Despite a last-minute opponent change, with Moicano stepping in for Arman Tsarukyan, Makhachev proved he\u2019s ready for any challenge. Using [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,21],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5197","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"category-ufc-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5197"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5202,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5197\/revisions\/5202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}