Dana White on Islam Makhachev: “As a champion, I don’t really expect you to fight 3 times a year, but twice would be nice”

Dana White would like Islam Makhachev to be a little more active.

Last month at UFC 333, the UFC announced that, despite rumors to the contrary, welterweight champion Islam Makhachev would not defend his title against Carlos Prates at UFC 336 in January. Instead, Prates faces Michael Morales for an interim belt while Makhachev waits to compete until after Ramadan.

When later explaining the decision to create an interim title, UFC CEO Dana White seemed a little annoyed with the sport’s pound-for-pound best fighter, and speaking to The Mac Life on Wednesday, White addressed the Makhachev situation in more detail.

“Yes, it was agreed to verbally,” White said. “Every time I told you (that’s when he pulled out).

“I think when you get to a position where he is and what he’s accomplished, who knows what he’s thinking or what he wants to do next? But, obviously, I like it when guys fight a lot. As a champion, I don’t really expect you to fight three times a year, but twice would be nice. What you start doing is moving up the division, because a lot of guys would like to have a title shot.”

“I think it’s money,” White said. “Once you have that much money, when guys are young and hungry, they want to fight a lot because they want to get paid. But once you start making enough money, you don’t have to fight all the time.

“And for him, to be fair to Islam, look at what he has accomplished.”

Makhachev is currently the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and is widely considered one of the greatest of his generation. He is the 11th two-division champion in UFC history and only the fourth fighter in UFC history to successfully defend a title in two weight classes. Since joining the promotion in 2015, Makhachev has accumulated an 18-1 record, including two wins last year, a lightweight title defense at UFC 311 and his welterweight title victory at UFC 322.