Islam Makhachev has a lot of options in the welterweight division, but there is a clear frontrunner.
Since beating Jack Della Maddalena to become the UFC welterweight champion late last year, Islam Makhachev has been inactive waiting for his next outing.
On the same event the Russian won the 170lb title, several other welterweight contenders scored standout wins.
Michael Morales, Carlos Prates and Ian Machado Garry all believe they are deserving of a title shot, however, Makhachev and his team have a different idea.
Makhachev’s manager reveals who is the frontrunner for title shot
Following his win over Della Maddalena, Makhachev caused uproar amongst the UFC fanbase when he declared that he would like to fight Kamaru Usman next.
In his last four fights, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is 1-3, and over the past few years he has clearly regressed.
Despite that and the fact that there are several other contenders who are deserving of a title shot, Makhachev’s manager has revealed that Usman is currently the frontrunner.
“They’re discussing the next fight, and Kamaru Usman is on the list of possible opponents,” Rizvan Magomedov told Sport24.
“If you ask us, we’d also like that fight, because it’s one of the biggest fights that can be made in the division right now.
“As always, the final word is with the organization. Islam is ready to defend… From a media perspective, the fight with Kamaru Usman would be the most interesting and watchable for the public.”
Although Magomedov is attempting to build excitement for the likely next title fight, the wide majority of the UFC fanbase is completely disinterested in that potential fight with it making absolutely zero sense.
Unfortunately, though, fans are going to have to come to terms with Makhachev vs Usman being next and the former champion has seemingly even begun ramping up training for that fight having recently posted a video on his social media.
A clear matchmaking issue in the UFC
Over the past year or so, it has become clear that there is a clear matchmaking issue in the premier promotion, with popularity consistently trumping meritocracy.
Despite that, the aforementioned pair of Morales and Machado Garry could now potentially clash in a number one contender fight, with the winner guaranteeing themselves a title shot.
2026-02-07 13:30:00
