Islam Makhachev faces title stripping calls but 30-fight UFC vet says he ‘earned the right’ to delay

Islam Makhachev has caused a stir by backtracking on plans to defend his title in January.

UFC 336 in Toronto had been earmarked as the location for Makhachev’s second defense of the welterweight championship, which he held onto by beating Ian Machado Garry this past August.

The Dagestani recently confirmed that he was offered the rumored clash with Carlos Prates, but he said no. Despite previously targeting the first numbered event of 2027, Makhachev now doesn’t plan to fight again until after Ramadan.

That news was quickly followed by an interim title announcement, but some fans think the champ should have been removed from the throne altogether.

Makhachev's comments on why he isn't fighting at UFC 336 have rubbed fans up the wrong way.

Makhachev has gained a reputation for usually only fighting once a year, something that the reported January title defense likely would have changed.

With his next fight now unlikely to happen until May at the earliest, the frustration among some fans has peaked.

On the TalkingPoints app and the Bloody Elbow Facebook page, fans have been debating whether the UFC should have stripped Makhachev instead of booking Prates vs Michael Morales at UFC 336 for the interim welterweight title.

“Bro wanted to fight Kamaru Usman but these guys have to fight to see who is worthy?”

“Strip him of the title.”

“He’s not confident that he can beat Prates.”

“Make the champ do his job and take the new challengers as they come.”

“He is avoiding Prates. Have it as an automatic rule so if a champ refuses two fights a year, he gets stripped.”

“He only fought in August? One fight a year isn’t ideal but it doesn’t warrant the title being stripped.”

One man who has made it clear which side of the debate he sits on is ex-welterweight fighter Matt Brown.

The 30-bout UFC veteran discussed the title situation in his former division during a recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer on MMA Fighting.

“He is in position being that he’s done such great things, I feel like he’s earned that right,” Brown said.

“I think he’s earned that right — I wouldn’t call it picking and choosing — if he was like ‘I don’t want to fight anybody’ for this amount of time. Again, this is where I’ve said this a thousand times, I wish there was some sort of standard.

The UFC needs to make a standard — if you don’t defend for this long, we make an interim title,” he continued. “This happens in boxing all the time. This guy needs to do this, I’m going to fight this guy, I want to fight this guy. This is just standard combat sports stuff.

“When you get to that level, you get a little bit more picky and choosy, as you should. I’m not going to hate on Islam being picky and choosy about this fight.”