The 33-year-old will presumably jump straight into a title bout with newly-crowned welterweight king<\/a> Jack Della Maddalena, but for now fans are still waiting on news of when Makhachev will make his debut at 170 lbs. and try to claim a second UFC title. <\/p>\n Islam Makhachev (red gloves) reacts after defeating Renato Moicano (not pictured) in a lightweight title fight during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. \/ Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The UFC is in Abu Dhabi this week for UFC Fight Night card headlined by Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder<\/a>, and Makhachev will likely be in attendance for that event after he was also cage side for UAE Warriors 62 at Abu Dhabi\u2019s Space42 Arena. <\/p>\n READ MORE: Referee sprints to save unconscious MMA fighter after savage KO<\/a><\/p>\n The second half of back-to-back fight cards that saw UAE Warriors 61 go down on Wednesday, Thursday\u2019s UAE Warriors 62 was headlined by a welterweight bout between defending titleholder Khotam Boynazarov and UFC veteran James Llontop. <\/p>\n A contract winner on Dana White\u2019s Contender Series in 2023, Llontop went 0-3 in the UFC in 2024 and also missed weight for two out of his three fight before being released from the promotion. <\/p>\n Mauricio Ruffy (red gloves) fights James Llontop (blue gloves) in the catchweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. \/ Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n \u201cGoku\u201d returned to Fusion FC in his native Peru to move up in weight and claim the promotion\u2019s interim welterweight belt in March before unifying the 170 lbs. belts with a second-round finish in June, and the 25-year-old was given a huge opportunity less than a month later when he was booked to meet the undefeated Boynazarov at UAE Warriors 62. <\/p>\n READ MORE: UFC reveals stacked lineup for Aspinall vs Gane with fan-favorite return<\/a><\/p>\n Boynazarov won the UAE Warriors welterweight belt last year to bring his professional record to a perfect 10-0. After \u201cWhite Wolf\u201d largely outgrappled Llontop for five rounds, Makhachev entered the cage to wrap the UAE Warriors belt around Boynazarov\u2019s waist and congratulate him on a dominant victory.<\/p>\n Khotam Boynazarov defends his title at #UAEWarriors62<\/a> and the champ @MAKHACHEVMMA<\/a> was there to put the belt on him \ud83c\udfc6 pic.twitter.com\/zbpex8RR1a<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 UFC veteran refused $200K check he had every right to take<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 UFC KO artist books quick turnaround for Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira fight card<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Khabib has ‘feeling’ UFC is dragging its feet with Russian fighters<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Khabib Nurmagomedov recalls unusual UFC 229 buildup against Conor McGregor<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with MMAKnockout<\/a> for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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