Islam Makhachev continued to show his prowess with his fifth-round submission victory over Dustin Poirier to retain the UFC lightweight title in the main event of UFC 302.
Makhachev's victory now sparks questions about what could be next for him. It's no secret that the next target date for the Dagestani could be in late October in Abu Dhabi, as Makhachev has done the last two years and his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, did before him.
However, while many speculated that the next logical step would be a title defense against Arman Tsarukyan, Makhachev stated in his UFC 302 post-fight interview that he's eyeing a new challenge in moving up to challenge current UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
In a response on X (formerly Twitter), Tsarukyan gave a respectful congratulations to the lightweight champ but suggested that he was looking to run away from him.
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"Congrats to Islam! But don't try to run away to another division. You've only defended your title once against a real lightweight, and I'm next in line," Tsarukyan wrote.
Tsarukyan Implies Makhachev Is Trying To Run From Him By Targeting Welterweight Title
Tsarukyan seemingly became the next contender to the lightweight title by way of his finish of former champion, and previous top contender, Charles Oliveira in a title eliminator at UFC 300 in April.
Makhachev defeated Oliveira at UFC 280 in October 2022 to capture the lightweight championship. He has since defended the title twice against then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, in addition to Poirier.
Edwards, meanwhile, is scheduled to defend the welterweight championship against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304, which takes place on July 27 in Manchester, England.
The UFC has previously announced that this year's Abu Dhabi pay-per-view card will be UFC 308, which will take place on October 26. Makhachev has also teased another appearance on US soil instead, specifically Madison Square Garden the following month.