Big money and the first number of the P4P rating: what are the prospects for Makhachev after winning the UFC title

The triumph at UFC 280 was the main event in the career of Islam Makhachev at the moment.

A native of Dagestan won the lightweight title, came in second in terms of the number of victories among Russians (12), and also bypassed his compatriots in the number of fights won both by submission (6) and ahead of schedule in general (8).

And next week, the heir of Khabib Nurmagomedov will enter the ranking of the strongest fighters, regardless of weight categories (Pound-for-Pound), where Peter Yan may well take the place.

And although the athlete himself is now thinking more about a well-deserved rest and celebration, the matchmakers of the promotion are probably already making plans for his future.

Over the past years, the lightweight division has rightly been considered one of the most competitive in the UFC.

The top five are only mixed martial arts stars, and until recently Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson, who terrified rivals, are not even in the top 10.

A fight with any of them would decorate the poster of a numbered tournament and would arouse great interest among fans of mixed martial arts, even if it would not become a serious test for Makhachev.

But everything goes to the fact that the first defense of Islam will have to be held with an opponent from a different weight category - the strongest featherweight of the planet Alexander Volkanovski.

The intention of Dana White to give the Australian a chance to become the eighth champion in history in two divisions became known shortly before the show in Abu Dhabi, as a result of which Islam had to answer questions about a possible fight during the media day.

And after the fight, the Russian confirmed that he would not mind beating Volkanovski, who leads the P4P rating, in his homeland.

At the same time, this idea was initially voiced not by Makhachev himself, but by his friend and colleague, Nurmagomedov.

Thus, there is practically no reason to doubt the duel between Makhachev and Volkanovski.

On paper, this is beneficial to all three parties - both opponents and the organization itself.

The Russian gets the opportunity to conduct a money fight and, if successful, climb to the first line in the combined rating.

Volkanovski - to strengthen in the status of the strongest fighter on the planet.

Promotion - host the biggest tournament in Australia capable of setting a new record.

On the "green continent" they love mixed martial arts, the list of the most visited shows for the entire existence of the league is proof of this.

In 2019, 57,127 people came to watch the confrontation between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya in Melbourne, and four years earlier, a full house was recorded during the battle between Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm (56,214).

However, White may have other ulterior motives that are unpleasant to talk about in the press.

After all, the battle between Volkanovski and the former king of two divisions, Henry Cejudo, would have turned out to be no less box office than the meeting with Makhachev.

The American himself had been expressing his readiness to return for the sake of this fight for several months and in every possible way provoked a potential opponent on social networks, but he failed to achieve what he wanted.

And the point is most likely in Dana's unwillingness to repeat the story with Georges Saint-Pierre.

In November 2017, the legendary Canadian made a long-awaited return to the octagon and “strangled” then-reigning middleweight champion Michael Bisping.

This opened the UFC up to a number of cash bouts, including a fight between St-Pierre and interim belt holder Whittaker, and a “dream fight” with Anderson Silva.

But these hopes were not destined to come true: ulcerative colitis forced Georges to give up the title after 33 days, and after a little over a year he completely ended his career.

Maybe White does not want to repeat past mistakes and give Cejudo the opportunity to become the first ever three-division champion without getting anything in return.

Immediately after the tournament, Henry may announce his retirement from the sport again and leave the league without a champion and without a P4P leader.

And this can deal a significant blow to both the featherweight category and the prestige of the organization as a whole.

In any case, the duel between Makhachev and Volkanovski already seems to be a settled matter, which is unlikely to please lightweight stars.

In particular, the same Oliveira, who deserves the right to rematch.

The Brazilian gave out an unbeaten streak of 11 fights, replaced Nurmagomedov on the throne and dealt with all the representatives of the elite.

And after the first failure, he is forced to either wait his turn, or even fight again for the title of the first contender.

In early November, a battle will take place between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier, and it is possible that its winner will be determined as Charles' rival.

The rest of the lightweight stars can hardly count on a meeting with Makhachev.

In June, Gati lost miserably to Oliveira and after that he never entered the cage.

Beneil Dariush, although he got the better of Mateusz Gamrot, was unlikely to impress the UFC leadership.

Rafael Fiziev is not yet ripe for a duel for the title, and Rafael dos Anjos decided to fight again in the welterweight division.

Of course, there is always the option to arrange a principled duel with McGregor, but the Irishman is closer to the end of his career than to a triumphant return to the cage.

What is more profitable for Makhachev himself?

The fight with Volkanovski promises him not only a high fee, but also fame.

Although Alexander cannot be called a passing opponent, it is still difficult to imagine how he can cope with the Russian.

He is much taller, physically stronger and not as comfortable for him as Max Holloway.

Although the Hawaiian is very strong in the stance, he has never been an expert in other aspects.

And as practice has shown, this is clearly not enough to defeat the Australian.

If you look even further, then Makhachev himself does not exclude the transition to the welterweight division, but so far this decision seems not entirely logical.

In all respects, he is a natural lightweight and will be noticeably inferior to his rivals both in height and in size.

If Habib had decided to take this step, there would have been much less questions, but the fact that the predecessor of Islam did not take risks speaks volumes.

He even planned to arrange a potential fight with Saint-Pierre in the category familiar to him.