“Must be in Saudi Arabia?” – Islam Makhachev REVEALS timeline for return to octagon leaving fans perplexed

Islam Makhachev previously defended his lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 294. He landed a brutal head kick to Volkanovksi’s head to put him down on the canvas. As such, he finished the fight in the very first round. Since it was a quick finish, the MMA world wanted Makhachev to fight again sooner. Now, the Dagesatni took to X to announce his timeline for return.

In Islam Makhachev’s X post, he shared an image of his training and captioned it with his potential return time. He said he would be ready by March 2024 to face any lightweight contender. But he also mentioned if he doesn’t get offered a fight in March, he won’t fight until Ramadan ends. Here is what he wrote:

I’ll be ready to smash someone in March, or see you after Ramadan.

Islam Makhachev via X

With UFC PPV events already stacked until March, the possibility of Islam Makhachev fighting was low. However, the UFC planned to go to Saudi Arabia in March for a Fight Night event. As such, the MMA community started speculating about his return to be on that card. But, a champion of Makhachev’s stature in a Fight Night event was quite hard to believe.

Islam Makhachev has lightweight contenders lined up in the names of Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Arman Tsarukyan. As such, who he would fight was also up to speculation. However, Makhachev preferred Gaethje over ‘Do Bronx’ since he had already gone through a training camp to fight Oliveira in UFC 294, but he pulled out, citing an injury.

Fans react to Islam Makhachev’s return timeline

Islam Makhachev, in his recent X post, affirmed he would be ready to fight in March 2024. However, due to Ramadan celebrations around the corner, Makhachev stated if March passes by, he won’t accept a fight until Ramadan ends. So, the fans urged the UFC to book a fight for the lightweight champion soon.

Islam Makhachev has a lot of options to choose his next opponent. Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje have become the front runners for the title challenger spot. As such, rumors spread he would face either one of them next. Also, with UFC events already booked until March, fans speculated about Makhachev’s fight to be in Saudi Arabia, a fight night event. Here are a few interesting fan reactions:

Fight fans shared their excitement for the return of Islam Makhachev in March 2024. Also, many believed it to be in the UFC fight night card in Saudi Arabia. However, a few criticized the lightweight champion’s decision not to fight during Ramadan and stated it stalled the division. As such, Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira were his expected opponents.

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