Makhachev captured the UFC welterweight championship in a dominant performance against Jack Della Maddalena in November. Top 170-pound contenders such as Michael Morales and Ian Machado Garry have emerged and both appear to be viable options to fight Makhachev next.
The 170-pound champion has drawn the ire of some with his stance on who the next title challenger should be. Makhachev believes Usman would be an intriguing match, and he explained why he spoke Red Corner MMA (via MMAFighting).
“I said I wanted to fight Kamaru Usman next,” Makhachev said. “Although the media, as I see, does not believe in this fight, in my opinion Usman would be defeated by any of these newcomers like Morales, Prates… those guys haven’t been checked yet.
“I think Usman would be the hardest fight for me and media-wise we could build it up. As a former champion, most title defenses in my weight class, we could promote this fight well and make it fun to watch.”
Usman has scored 1-3 in his last four appearances. He managed to snap a three-fight skid by defeating Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision in June. During his skid, Usman dropped two straight to Leon Edwards, as well as a majority decision over Khamzat Chimaev in a highly competitive middleweight fight.
Some welterweights have spoken out against the idea of Usman getting another welterweight title fight. Perhaps the most outspoken name is Ian Machado Garry, who has even gone so far as to call Usman “irrelevant” entering 2026. Other names, like Sean Brady, who was stopped by Morales, feel there are other deserving contenders. Brady even called out Morales to get the title shot.
UFC has not yet determined who will win Makhachev’s welterweight gold first. BJPenn.com will keep you updated on the £170 title photo.
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