Sean Strickland’s reaction to Islam Makhachev considering middleweight was surprising.
UFC lightweight champion Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) insists on fulfilling his goal of becoming dual-champion before he calls it a career. But with his friend and training partner Belal Muhammad currently holding the UFC welterweight strap, his plans have been momentarily put on hold.
That had Makhachev contemplating jumping up to 185 pounds, which middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis cautioned him about. Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) challenges Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in a title-fight rematch, which headlines UFC 312 Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).
If Strickland is victorious, would he consider welcoming Makhachev to 185 pounds?
“We fought on the same card once, right? Bro, I actually really like that guy,” Strickland told MMA Junkie of Makhachev. “He’s actually a really f*cking good dude, which is funny because I think a lot of Muslims don’t like me because I talk a lot of sh*t. But he’s a good dude.
“Again, there’s weight classes for a f*cking reason. Stay in your weight class, maybe do 170, but there are weight classes for a f*cking reason, dude. I don’t want to talk too much sh*t on you because I like you, but stay in your weight class.”
Makhachev and Strickland shared the UFC 302 card in June, where Makhachev retained his lightweight title by submitting Dustin Poirier, and Strickland defeated Paulo Costa to earn a rematch against Du Plessis. Makhachev defended his lightweight title for a company record fourth time when he submitted Renato Moicano in Round 1 at UFC 311 earlier this month.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
