A new rivalry appears to be brewing between Islam Makhachev and Max Holloway after the Dagestani retained his welterweight title with a unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330.
Makhachev became the 11th double champion in UFC history when he defeated Jack Della Maddalena last year, and while he vacated his lightweight title before moving up to welterweight, the celebration in Philadelphia still included both belts.
While posing with two titles made perfect sense after becoming a double champion, Makhachev doing it again after defending only his welterweight belt caught Holloway’s attention. Speaking on his Kick channel, the former featherweight champion questioned why Makhachev was still carrying both titles.
He said, “Why the fuck do you have two belts? For aura? I mean, it is what it is, like, you are, but you’re not. That was temporary, but now you’re just defending one belt, bro. Why you keep—I don’t know. I don’t know, guys.”
Makhachev didn’t let the comments slide, responding, “I don’t know, bro. It’s even too heavy to hold. But you don’t understand, sorry.”
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That response clearly didn’t sit well with “Blessed,” who fired back while suggesting Makhachev might not even be responsible for the slick social media replies coming from his account.
During another livestream on Kick, Holloway was seen holding his own featherweight and BMF titles when he took another shot at Makhachev’s social media game. He said, “I don’t know how heavy these are? That guy got hit in his head too many times. I ain’t talking about Islam, I’m talking about the guy who’s running his IG for him.”
Holloway continued, “I kind of know how heavy these are, bro. These boys are heavy. Don’t tell me I don’t know what they feel like. You gotta do homework on your boy. Don’t ever come for my throat, bro. Don’t ever come for my throat, bro, especially when you’re hiding behind another man’s IG.”
Max Holloway flexing his belts in response to Islam Makhachev’s [ Ali Abdelaziz ] comment. 😂
I kind of know how heavy these can be. These are heavy, bro. Don’t tell me I don’t know what they feel like.
Don’t ever come for my throat, bro—especially when you’re hiding behind… pic.twitter.com/g7fKIy4m04
— MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) August 18, 2026
Fans were quick to speculate that Holloway was taking aim at Ali Abdelaziz, the longtime manager who represents Makhachev and several other top Dagestani fighters. Abdelaziz is also known for being outspoken on social media, with fans often attributing some of the more provocative posts from his fighters’ accounts to the manager.
Holloway and Abdelaziz have already crossed paths verbally in recent weeks. The former featherweight champion previously responded to Abdelaziz’s comments about Usman Nurmagomedov potentially joining the UFC and eventually defeating the likes of Ilia Topuria and Holloway.
When the topic came up during another Kick livestream, Holloway made it clear that he wasn’t impressed by Abdelaziz’s assessment of the fight game, using an expletive to get his point across.
Now, with Holloway seemingly taking shots at Makhachev’s social media presence and Abdelaziz potentially being caught in the middle, the beef has moved from the Octagon to Instagram.
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Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
