Islam Makhachev believes Kamaru Usman would provide the toughest test among the many contenders emerging in the welterweight division.
Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) dominated Jack Della Maddalena in his 170-pound debut at UFC 322, adding the welterweight title to the lightweight strap he held while ruling that division since 2022.
His move up and his emphatic win over “JDM” has opened up a wide range of possibilities for his first title defense. Contenders such as Shavkat Rakhmonov, Michael Morales, Ian Machado Garry, and Carlos Prates are all firmly in the mix for the next shot at 170 pounds, but Makhachev has his eye on Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) who was one of his predecessors in the championship hot seat.
“I said that I wanted to fight Kamaru Usman next, although the media doesn’t believe in this fight as far as I can see,” Makhachev told Red Corner MMA. “But in my opinion, Usman would steamroll through each of these up-and-comers like Morales and Prates. Those guys haven’t been checked yet.
“I think Usman would be the hardest fight for me, and in terms of media we could build it up like a former champion…the most title defenses in my (previous) weight division. We could promote this fight well and make it fun to watch.”
Usman won 6 consecutive title fights during his reign at the top of the welterweight division from 2019 to 2022. He fell on hard times when hitting a 3-fight skid after losing his belt to Leon Edwards at UFC 278 but picked up his first victory in almost 4 years in June when he outpointed Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta.
“Buckley was one of the contenders, Usman simply took him apart and everybody has already forgotten about this guy,” Makhachev said. “But if Buckley won, he would have been 100% contender number one.
“There’s a lot of options for me, my division is really lively now. Welterweight is really lively now so there are options. The UFC will probably offer me someone soon and I told them that I don’t care because I feel that I’m going to stay in this division for a long time, holding the belt and feeling comfortable.”
