Written by Islam Makhachev is vacating the UFC lightweight title and moving up to welterweight to challenge new champ Jack Della Maddalena later this year. Because of that, Ilia Topuria now fights for a vacant 155-pound title against Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317 to cap off International Fight Week next month. Was this the right call?
On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel answers your questions about Dana White’s blockbuster announcement at lightweight and welterweight, and what this means for the future of both divisions. Additionally, questions may include to fallout of UFC 315, Belal Muhammad’s next move after losing his title to JDM this past Saturday, Dricus du Plessis defending his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago, the UFC’s return to the APEX headlined by Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales, and more.
Join MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and E. Casey Leydon for a special fan Q&A edition of the show to let your thoughts be heard in regards to all of the crazy news and results over the past week.
Watch the show live at 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT in the video above.
If you missed the show live, you can still watch above, or listen to the podcast version, which can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your pods.