Kamaru Usman is bewildered by Islam Makhachev’s mentality.
Makhachev made a record fourth lightweight title defense at UFC 311, which cracked his options wide open. Makhachev went as far as to call out Dricus du Plessis for a triple-champ opportunity. The most realistic option for now is a welterweight move, even if featherweight king Ilia Topuria taunts Makhachev for a fight.
Only one thing stands in the way: Makhachev’s comradery with the current welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad, and his No. 1 challenger, Shavkat Rakhmonov. Makhachev has previously revealed he’d rather not fight either man. Usman operates in a more cutthroat fashion.
Kamaru Usman thinks Islam Makhachev should throw brotherhood aside and take Belal Muhammad’s title
On the opposite end of the scale to Makhachev, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman believes the champion should cast aside any comradery and take what’s his.
“This whole notion of Belal training with them, ‘I don’t wanna [fight him] —‘ Bro, no,” Usman said on his Pound 4 Pound podcast. “I’m going up and I’m whooping him, I don’t care. Just because he comes into our camp and just tries to use our bodies and learn our style.
“I’m moving up, I’m whooping him, I’m taking that belt.”
At 33 years old, Makhachev has the unique opportunity to make UFC history. We’ve already had a handful of double champions, including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, and Amanda Nunes. Now, we could see a triple champion, with Makhachev cutting plenty of weight to compete at lightweight. However, it remains to be seen whether his brotherhood with Muhammad and Rakhmonov gets in the way.
Kamaru Usman refused to fight Israel Adesanya when he was champion
Comradery also prevented Merab Dvalishvili from claiming bantamweight gold. ‘The Machine’ outright refused to fight his friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling while ‘Funk Master’ claimed the throne. Ironically, this was also the case with Usman, who wouldn’t entertain a fight with Israel Adesanya since they both had Nigerian heritage.
Usman ruled out a fight with Adesanya unless the UFC offered $100 million. Instead, he considered fighting at light heavyweight. Adesanya also said he had nothing to gain from fighting Usman.
Since these remarks, Usman has lost three fights in a row, and Adesanya has lost his middleweight throne twice. Perhaps Usman’s approach has changed, as he now looks to keep his standings in the welterweight division, let alone reclaim a championship.