The UFC may have yet to reveal the headliner for International Fight Week at UFC 317 on June 28, but it seems that the waiting period could be coming to an end very soon.
During the pre-fight press conference on Thursday, Dana White verified comments made by former UFC Featherweight Champion, Ilia Topuria, which claimed that the UFC were waiting to see the winner of the UFC Welterweight Championship fight on Saturday between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.
ð¨ Dana White confirms that the winner of Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena will determine whether Ilia Topuria fights Islam Makhachev or Charles Oliveira at #UFC317 ð
“There’s a lot of moving parts right now, and that’s pretty accurate.”pic.twitter.com/7JOC5a1WCz
â Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 8, 2025
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Responding to a reporter asking if the outcome of Saturday’s championship fight would determine who Ilia Topuria fights on IFW, White replied, “Yeah there’s a lot of moving parts right now, and yeah that’s pretty accurate.”
Why Does UFC 315 Have Such A Big Impact On The Headliner Of International Fight Week?
One name – Islam Makhachev.
Belal does not want to fight Islam, given the fact that they have trained together at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s camp – and the current 4 x UFC Lightweight Champion has implied similar feelings towards the current welterweight champ.
And that would seem to be fine, given the fact that both fight in different weight classes. However, it is widely known at this point that Makhachev, who is very large for the 155 lb division and struggles to make weight, has been looking to move up to 170 lb.
Given his pedigree as champion in the lightweight division, it is assured that Islam would receive an immediate title shot upon moving up to welterweight – but if Muhammad remains the champion, it seems that neither would want to pursue that fight.
As such, if Della Maddalena wins, Islam will almost certainly move to 170 lbs and vacate the UFC Lightweight Championship belt, allowing Ilia Topuria and former champion, Charles Oliveira to fight it out at International Fight Week.
But if Belal wins, Makhachev will likely remain at 155 lb and fight Topuria in seven weeks time in defense of his lightweight title.
What Is Next In These Divisions?
After this crucial fight for the future of the UFC, many fans will be hoping for a Belal win in order to secure the “super fight” matchup between Topuria and Makhachev.
But with Maddalena still being a live underdog, priced at +150, it is not out of the question that we could see the Australian be named champion. That would then result in Makhachev jumping the queue of contenders at welterweight, which currently features names like Shavkat Rakhomonov, Sean Brady and Ian Machado Garry – for a fight against Maddalena later this year or in early 2026.
And if the name called is Belal Muhammad, UFC fans could get what will likely be the second biggest fight of the year – if that Jones/Aspinall fight does finally come to fruition.
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