UFC legend defends Islam Makhachev over claims he wanted Belal Muhammad to lose welterweight title

A UFC Hall of Famer and color commentator doesn’t believe Islam Makhachev rooted for Belal Muhammad to lose at UFC 315.

Muhammad put the UFC Welterweight Championship at stake against Jack Della Maddalena in Montreal this past Saturday. Going into the fight, UFC CEO Dana White said that the outcome would have major implications on Makhachev’s next fight. Maddalena ended up defeating Muhammad to capture the 170-pound gold.

Makhachev will now vacate the lightweight gold in an attempt to capture the welterweight title. Recently, rising UFC welterweight champion Joaquin Buckley had some fun on social media, claiming that Makhachev was “praying” for Muhammad’s downfall.

RELATED: ISLAM MAKHACHEV HAS SURPASSED KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV ON ALL-TIME LIGHTWEIGHT LIST, SAYS FORMER CHAMPION

Cormier Defends Makhachev

Daniel Cormier took to his YouTube channel to address those who believe Islam Makhachev truly wanted Belal Muhammad to lose the UFC Welterweight Championship (via MMAJunkie).

“I don’t think Makhachev was praying for Belal to lose,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I know the guy, and I don’t think that’s in him to want to see one of his friends lose for himself to gain an opportunity. But what Buckley is doing, from the trolling of Ian Garry to now trying to target Islam Makhachev, it’s one of the only ways he’s truly going to find his way into those big fights that he wants so desperately. He beats Kamaru Usman, obviously he’s going to be in line to get a great fight.”

Regardless of what Makhachev was thinking during Muhammad’s fight against Maddalena, he will have a chance to fulfill his goal of capturing UFC gold in a second weight class. A date for the welterweight title fight hasn’t been announced, given the fact that Maddalena was just in a high-level, five-round title fight.

The bout has been confirmed by Dana White, however.