“Already had a chance!” Islam Makhachev turns down Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan rematch; calls out Justin Gaethje

UFC lightweight division is one of the most entertaining divisions in the promotion. Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Arman Tsarukyan remain ready to capture the title. They all had an impressive performance in their last fight and were knocking on the door for the title shot. However, only one gets it. As such, the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev expressed his interest in who he would like to face next.

Islam Makhachev, in a recent interview, stated that he wasn’t interested in doing a rematch and wanted a fresh matchup. This left out Oliveira and Arman. Hence, Gaethje remains the next choice for Makhachev. Here is what Makhachev said:

I'm not that interested in rematches because if you win someone in a good way, you have to add new names. There's Gaethje who I would say deserved a fight. I think it would be more interesting to fight him.

Islam Makhachev via Ushatayka YT

Islam Makhachev sent waves around the MMA world when he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 294. Originally, he was to take on Charles Oliveira in a rematch. But, ‘Do Bronx’ pulled out of the fight at the last minute due to an injury. By this, Oliveira slightly slipped his chance at the title. As such, Justin Gaethje and Arman Tsarukyan called their shots to skip the queue.

The lightweight champion had fought Arman Tsarukyan in 2019 and won the fight via clean sweep on the judge’s scorecard. Likewise, he submitted Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 to win the lightweight title. As such, Islam Makhachev wasn’t interested in rematching them. So, he showed interest in fighting Justin Gaethje next.

Arman Tsarukyan called out Islam Makhachev after win over Beneil Dariush

Arman Tsarukyan and Beneil Dariush squared up in the main event of UFC Austin. ‘Ahalkalakets’ finished Dariush in the first round via knockout, putting him out cold on the UFC canvas. With this impressive win, he called out Islam Makhachev for a title fight. As such, he wanted to avenge his loss to Makhachev.

Islam Makhachev fought Arman Tsarukyan in 2019 and won a unanimous decision win. It was the Armenian’s debut in the UFC, and he just had three weeks to prepare for the fight. Still, Tsarukyan performed and gave Makhachev a run for his money. Now, after four years, he stated that he was improved and much better. As such, in his callout, he challenged the lightweight champion and said that he would knock him out.

Although Arman Tsarukyan’s win over Beneil Dariush was impressive, he had to get in line for the title shot. Fighters like Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje are at the top, waiting for a shot at the lightweight gold. Even Dana White stated that Oliveira would most likely be next. However, the UFC has yet to decide who will next fight for the lightweight title.

In case you missed it:

• “Titanium shinbone they ain’t ready” – Conor McGregor’s ‘crisp, tight’ pad work ahead of much-anticipated return has fans hyped
• “I really want a baby” – OnlyFans model Corinna Kopf gets ‘flirty’ response from UFC champ Sean O’Malley

Stay Updated!

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW