Islam Makhachev made history at UFC 322 in November by becoming a two-division champion. The Russian defeated Jack Della Maddalena to capture the welterweight title after vacating his lightweight belt earlier in the year. Makhachev’s victory solidified his status as one of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet. He returned to the top spot on the P4P rankings, knocking Ilia Topuria back down and continuing their subtle rivalry. <\/p>
Now comes the question every new champion faces: who’s next? The welterweight division is absolutely stacked with hungry contenders ready to challenge for the belt. That UFC<\/a> 322 card featured several highly ranked welterweight contenders showing their skills. Michael Morales and Carlos Prates both impressed with their performances. Just one week later, Ian Machado Garry picked up a significant victory over former champion Belal Muhammad. The division is overflowing with young, dangerous fighters who believe they deserve title shots. But Islam Makhachev reveals why he wants to fight Kamaru Usman next, and his reasoning has sparked massive debate among fans.<\/p> Islam Makhachev shocked fans by announcing he wants to defend his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman. The problem? Usman is currently 1-3<\/a> in his last four fights, with his only victory coming against Joaquin Buckley, who sits at number ten in the rankings. That record doesn’t exactly scream “deserving title challenger<\/em>” to most observers. The fanbase erupted with criticism, accusing Makhachev of cherry-picking an easy fight against a declining former champion. But the Russian doubled down on his position during an interview with Red Corner MMA<\/strong>.<\/p> “I said that I wanted to fight Kamaru Usman next. Although the media doesn’t believe in this fight as I can see, but in my opinion, Usman would steamroll through each of these up-and-comers like Morales, Prates, the striker Machado Garry.” <\/em><\/strong><\/p>Islam Makhachev Makes A Case For Fighting Kamaru Usman Over Rising Contenders<\/h2>