Islam Makhachev is doubling down on his want to battle Kamaru Usman subsequent.
Makhachev received the UFC welterweight title in November with a dominant efficiency towards Jacques Della Maddalena. High contenders within the 170-pound division have emerged, together with Michael Morales and Ian Machado-Galley, each of whom could be sturdy choices to battle Makhachev subsequent.
The 170-pound champion has drawn the ire of some together with his stance on who must be the following title challenger. Makhachev believes Usman could be an attention-grabbing opponent and defined why when talking to Pink Nook MMA (through MMAFighting).
“I mentioned I wish to battle Kamaru Usman subsequent,” Makhachev mentioned. “So far as I can see, the media would not consider this battle, however for my part Usman will proceed to fire up up-and-comers like Morales and Prates… who’re nonetheless unchecked.
“I believe the Usman battle would be the most tough battle for me, however from a media standpoint, we had been capable of step it up. As a former champion and probably the most prolific title defender in my weight class, we had been capable of promote this battle properly and make it enjoyable to observe.”
Usman has 1 win and three losses in his final 4 fights. He was capable of finish a three-fight skid by defeating Joaquin Buckley by unanimous choice in June. Through the skid, Usman misplaced two straight to Leon Edwards in a extremely aggressive middleweight battle, adopted by a majority choice loss to Khamzat Chimaev.
Some welterweights are towards the thought of Usman getting one other welterweight title battle. Maybe probably the most vocal title has been Ian Machado Ghaly, who went as far as to name Usman “irrelevant” forward of 2026. I really feel like there are different names like Sean Brady, who was stopped by Coach Morales, which might be extra appropriate candidates. In truth, Brady is asking for Morales to be given an opportunity to win a title.
The UFC has but to resolve who will get the primary crack at Makhachev’s welterweight gold medal. At BJPenn.com, we’ll maintain you up to date on the 170-pound title picture.
