Islam Makhachev, the newly crowned UFC Welterweight Champion, risks enraging fans following recent remarks.
Islam Makhachev dethroned Jack Della Maddalena and became the new UFC welterweight champion at UFC 322 in November.
The Russian returned to the top of the pound for pound rankings with his victory, knocking Ilia TOPURIA off the top spot and continuing their rivalry.
After his famous win, however, the Russian champ angered fans when he revealed to whom he would first like to defend the 170lb title.
Is Islam Makhachev pound-for -pound still the number one UFC fighter?
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Makhachev reiterates why he wants Kamaru Usman to be his next opponent
On the UFC 322 program, several top-ranked welterweights were also featured, including Michael Morales, Carlos Prates and Ian Machado Garry, who won a major victory over Belal Mohammed a week after.
Makhachev, however, announced that he would like to face former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Uman.
This caused a huge uproar in the UFC fan base, given that Usman was 1-3 in his previous four fights. His only victory came against Joaquin Buckley who is only ranked 10 in the division.
Despite the outrage, Makhachev has doubled down on wanting to fight ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ next,…
2025-12-10 20:30:00
