Islam Makhachev appeared to take a pop at Conor McGregor after UFC 284 by stating he will only defend his lightweight belt against a "real contender" next.
Makhachev, 31, stopped featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in his tracks as he attempted to become a double-champ by moving up a weight class for their lightweight title fight in Perth, Australia. After five rounds of back and forth action down under, Makhachev won a decision by scores of 48-47 48-47 and 49-46 to make the first defence of his lightweight title.
When asked about the next challenger of his belt, Makhachev seemed to take a shot at McGregor by saying: "Real contender, not fake, a couple of guys are going to show now for a fake fight but I need a real contender. I showed why I'm number one, you like or you don't like I am the best fighter in the world right now."
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The Russian also credited Volkanovski for being a tough challenger, stating: "He was such a short and hard opponent, I needed a tough fight as I had to improve. I thought he was going to be easy on the ground, but this guy improved a lot and I needed a tough guy. I showed why I'm number one, you like or you don't like I am the best fighter in the world right now."
Former two-weight champion McGregor makes his UFC return later this year against Michael Chandler after coaching against the American on the UFC's reality TV show, The Ultimate Fighter. 'Notorious' hasn't won a fight in over three years and has been absent since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their July 2021 trilogy fight.
A potential meeting between Makhachev and McGregor could take place in the future as UFC boss Dana White insisted the Irishman's return will take place at lightweight. Makhachev is now the UFC's pound-for-pound fighter after his hard-fought win against Volkanovski, something the Russian believes was a "big experience" for him.
"I knew this was not going to be an easy fight, this guy was so strong but I beat him by unanimous decision, it was a great experience for me. I've never fought for five rounds so this was a big experience. I know I lost the last round of the fight because he landed a good shot, I was looking for a choke or armbar after that," Makhachev said.
