Islam Makhachev shared his intentions regarding Shavkat Rakhmonov.

The UFC lightweight champion from Russia, Islam Makhachev, has shared his plans to capture a second UFC title in the welterweight division, where Kazakhstan's Shavkat Rakhmonov competes, as reported by Caravan.kz.

Currently, the UFC welterweight title is held by American fighter Belal Muhammad, who has Palestinian roots, and his first title defense will be against Shavkat Rakhmonov. Therefore, if Makhachev is to fight for the title in the welterweight division soon, he will have to step into the octagon either against Belal or Shavkat.

“I know both guys. These are not the fights I would prefer for sure. Both Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov are top-tier fighters with a complete skill set. They have a good fight coming up soon that I’m interested in watching,” Makhachev said at the press conference.

In another interview with TNT Sports, Makhachev expressed that he is seriously focused on moving up to the welterweight division.

“I won’t leave this sport without a second belt. That’s my goal. Yes, Belal is my friend. We’ve trained together for the past few weeks. We have the same manager. Let’s see, everything can change very quickly,” Makhachev stated.

It’s worth noting that Islam will compete in the main event of UFC 311 this weekend, and with a victory over Arman Tsarukyan (Armenia-Russia), he could become the record holder for title defenses in the lightweight division.