On Saturday night, current UFC welterweight champion and the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, Islam Makhachev, was back in action to defend his recently won 170-pound title for the first time. While he entered the bout as a sizable favorite over Ian Machado Garry, the Irishman made him work hard over five rounds to hold on to the belt.
Following his 17th straight win inside the Octagon, we take a look at who the reigning UFC welterweight king could face when he returns to the cage later this year or in early 2027.
Michael Morales
While the UFC doesn’t have Michael Morales ranked as the No. 1 contender in their welterweight top-10, most analysts of the sport feel he is the most deserving challenger to the title. He is 19-0 and has rampaged his way to the top of the division over the last few years. He is big, powerful, athletic, and many believe he would be a serious threat to Makhachev’s reign as champion.
Carlos Prates
The man who is at the top of the UFC’s welterweight top 10 is Brazil’s Carlos Prates. Outside of a loss to Garry last year, “The Nightmare” has won his other seven bouts in the Octagon, and all by knockout. He is the fighter who has gained a large fan base over the last couple of years, and that may help him leapfrog Morales into a title fight next.
Sean Strickland
After winning and then defending a second championship, it would not be totally surprising if Makhachev’s next goal was to try and achieve the unachievable. And that is winning a title in a third UFC division. Is the Russian moving up to middleweight likely? No. But with Sean Strickland back in the championship seat at 185 pounds, Makhachev might feel that is a good matchup for him and decide a belt in a third division is the next mountain he wants to climb.
Justin Gaethje
After his win over Garry, Makhachev admitted the fighters at 170 pounds are stronger and hit harder, understandably. Maybe he has had his fill of fighting 170-pounders and decides he wants to go back down to his previous weight class and get back his lightweight belt.
That would mean a long-desired clash with Justin Gaethje, the new champion, and one of the few division greats he has yet to face. A clash with Gaethje is even more intriguing because a win could lead to another long-wanted matchup for fans against Ilia Topuria in the first defense of his second reign.
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