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‘Big mistake’… UFC legend makes bold claim about Islam Makhachev’s impending move to welterweight

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Jamie Theodosi | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 1:28 PM ET

Although Islam Makhachev is one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters on the planet at the moment, not everyone believes his move to welterweight is a good idea.

Earlier this year, the UFC dropped the bombshell that Islam Makhachev had vacated his lightweight title in pursuit of a welterweight title fight against Jack Della Maddalena.

The news came as a disappointment to the fanbase as the majority of fans were hopeful of seeing a super fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.

Despite that, a fight between Makhachev and Della Maddalena will undoubtedly be one of the biggest fights of the year and Makhachev could potentially reclaim top spot on the pound-for-pound rankings if he wins.

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Michael Bisping claims Makhachev’s welterweight move could be a ‘big mistake’

Although Makhachev was widely regarded as a big 155lb fighter, his move up to welterweight isn’t deemed a great move by everyone.

At a local event in Australia this past weekend, the current welterweight champion spoke to the crowd and claimed that Makhachev is ‘too little’ for him and that he will retain his title.

Former UFC middleweight champion and now commentator Michael Bisping has claimed that the impending move up to 170lbs could be a ‘big mistake’ following Della Maddalena’s words.

“Jack says Islam is too small for him, I think he’s got a point,” Bisping said on the Believe You Me Podcast.

“He’s got a point because (Alexander Volkanovski)… is not a very big man, he is the man, but he’s a smaller man, and that first fight with Islam, he gave him everything he could handle.

“Jack Della Maddalena is not a small 170lber, so I think he’s got a point. It might be a big mistake for Islam to move up to 170lbs. It might be a bit of a stretch, but fair play to him, I respect it,” Bisping continued.

Islam Makhachev still eyeing move back down to lightweight

Despite the fact that the Russian is moving up to welterweight there is still a chance that he could move back down to 155lbs at some point to take on ‘El Matador’.

Following Topuria’s epic title win at UFC 317, it has preserved the possibility of fans seeing the super fight between Makhachev and the Spaniard, even though Topuria doesn’t think it will happen.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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