Islam Makhachev ‘s move to welterweight was intended to make Dana White ‘s life easier—new champion, new matches, and a hungry division. Instead, as soon as the Dagestani grabbed the belt, things turned messy. Three contenders scored brutal finishes, a past champion quietly requested another shot, and an unbeaten star waited for his call.

The noise should have provided clarity, but it instead created gridlock. In the midst of it all, the UFC is looking for a champion it can’t quite place—gunning for Kamaru Usman while a wave of rising welterweights keeps crashing the conversation. That’s the tension Paul Felder pointed out, because in his eyes, the division may already have the solution Dana White is pretending not to see.

Paul Felder names the two contenders who should fix the

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