UFC CEO Dana White pushed back on reports that Islam Makhachev will defend his welterweight title on July 11 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas, saying the information is not accurate.
Plans for Islam Makhachev’s next UFC title defense are still unsettled, and Dana White says fans shouldn’t expect it to happen on July 11 in Las Vegas. Responding to reports that Makhachev would defend his welterweight belt during International Fight Week, the UFC CEO said the fight is actually targeted for August.
That matters because International Fight Week is traditionally one of the promotion’s biggest annual showcases, and any Makhachev booking there would have instantly become one of the summer’s marquee storylines. Instead, White’s update suggests the UFC is holding the champion for a different pay-per-view card later in the season.
“That’s not true, it will be in August,” White wrote on social media.
As of now, the UFC has not officially announced an August numbered event, and no date or location has been confirmed.
The delay raises fresh questions about the division’s immediate future. If Makhachev returns in August, the UFC will likely build an entire card around him, which could reshape the title picture and slow down movement among the top contenders waiting for their shot. In the U.S. MMA media landscape, any change to a Makhachev schedule draws outsized attention because he remains one of the company’s most dominant champions and a central piece of its pay-per-view calendar.
It also adds intrigue to where the UFC might place him. If the promotion skips Las Vegas for this defense, that opens the door to another major market or an international destination better suited for a champion of Makhachev’s drawing power. For now, the biggest takeaway is simple: the July 11 report is off the board, and the UFC’s August calendar just became much more interesting.
Now the focus shifts to the promotion’s next announcement — and to who will be standing across from Makhachev when that long-awaited August card finally takes shape.
