Paddy Pimblett thinks Islam Makhachev should have stuck around at lightweight long enough to beat Ilia Topuria.
After months of speculation that Makhachev’s next 155-pound title defense would come against Topuria, the rug was pulled out from under fight fans. Instead, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ opted to vacate his lightweight championship to move up to welterweight, challenging the newly crowned king at 170, Jack Della Maddalena.
Since then, Makhachev has been the subject of significant scrutiny, with many suggesting that he hightailed it out of the lightweight division to avoid a fight with the undefeated ‘El Matador.