At the end of last month John Lineker fought Ian McCall in what was widely believed to be a #1 contender matchup at flyweight.

Lineker missed weight, forcing UFC President Dana White to state that he would be forced to move up to bantamweight given his numerous failures to make weight. Lineker won the bout, leaving the flyweight division without a clear cut #1 contender.

Enter Zach Makovsky, who was riding a 4-fight win streak recently before being defeated by Jussier Formiga via unanimous decision in August. He is looking to make a statement in his fight against Tim Elliot this Saturday.

He spoke to MMAJunkie about what Lineker being forced to move up in weight means for the division.

“I don’t want to say I’m happy. I think it’s bad for the UFC and especially bad for our division, but it definitely presents an opportunity for me. Demetrious needs an opponent; that was supposed to be the No. 1 contender fight. He missed weight, he has to go up. So there’s definitely an opening for someone to step in.”

“I mean, someone is going to have to make a statement – they’re not just going to hand you a title shot. Who knows. If I have an exceptional performance, who knows.”