Michael Bisping believes Islam Makhachev could consider moving up to middleweight to challenge Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight championship.
Makhachev, the reigning UFC welterweight champion and former lightweight titleholder, has already established himself as one of the sport's most dominant fighters. However, with a limited number of compelling matchups remaining at 170 pounds, Bisping believes a move to 185 pounds could be an intriguing option.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel Sunday, Bisping discussed Makhachev's potential next opponents and suggested that a fight against Strickland could be worth considering if the American remains champion.
Makhachev has publicly stated that he plans to wait for the outcome of the UFC 336 main event between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales in January before deciding on his next fight. The winner is expected to be a leading contender for his welterweight title.
Bisping acknowledged that Shavkat Rakhmonov remains another potential challenger but questioned whether there are enough attractive options left in the division.
"Granted, there is other people in the welterweight division. Obviously, there's Shavkat Rakhmonov out there. But that would be it. That would be it right now. He's beaten (Ian) Machado Garry. The winner of Prates and Morales is who he will be fighting (next)," Bisping said.
The former UFC middleweight champion also expressed uncertainty about the injury-prone Rakhmonov's future, noting that rumors have circulated about a possible return in 2027.
"Hopefully, I hope that he does, I keep seeing rumors that he's going to be on a matchup sometime soon," Bisping said.
With Makhachev potentially running out of fresh challenges at welterweight, Bisping believes a move up another division could make sense.
"But other than moving up to 185, Islam Makhachev would have really done it all. And if Sean Strickland is still the champion, that'd be a good matchup," Bisping said.
Bisping was careful not to suggest that Makhachev would necessarily defeat Strickland, but he believes the Russian's ability to maintain his pace could make the matchup particularly interesting.
"I'm not saying he beats Sean. Khamzat (Chimaev) couldn't beat Sean. But Islam wouldn't get tired at 185 because that's what Khamzat did," Bisping said.
