4. Islam Makhachev vs Justin Gaethje
While the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has his sights set on adding more gold to his trophy case, it can be argued that the most intriguing fight for him is a defense of his current belt against an established fan-favorite.
Makhachev has proven himself time and again to be the heir apparent to his teammate and Hall-of-Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. Going into 2024, it would appear his biggest goal is to do something that his longtime teammate didn’t do and go up in weight to become a two-division champion. That goal may come to fruition later this year, but most would say he has at least one more piece on the lightweight board to capture before saying he’s completed his campaign at 155 pounds.
Justin Gaethje has admitted that he is on his last title run and is steadfast that he will wait to give himself the best opportunity to win UFC gold before he retires. “The Highlight” is arguably in the best moment of his career after stopping Dustin Poirier for the BMF title in July and has established himself as the next man up at lightweight for Makhachev. The only roadblock to his aspirations, potentially, is time. UFC President Dana White has said that the current plan is to have former champion Charles Oliveira get the next title shot which could put Gaethje on ice for around fifteen months at least.
All that said, the fight is the most intriguing to make at lightweight for multiple reasons. The style matchup, the stakes on the line, and the storyline of Gaethje facing former foe Nurmagomedov’s heir apparent for UFC gold is more than enough reason to expect this fight to be a highlight of the calendar year.
