When it comes to Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley, a fellow welterweight contender doesn’t see Islam Makhachev having any trouble with the two UFC Atlanta headliners.
All eyes were on the welterweight division at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event in Atlanta, where a former champion looked to show they could still compete at the highest level.
That feat was achieved as Usman dominated Buckley at UFC Atlanta en route to a one-sided decision after five rounds of action.
The result marked a first victory since 2021 for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, but that winless run hasn’t put the veteran too far from the championship he once held. In fact, Usman has now staked his claim for a title shot in his next fight.
Should that come to fruition and see the 38-year-old matched against an upcoming arrival into the division, one man has already written him off.
Kevin Holland backs Islam Makhachev against Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley
The UFC welterweight division will soon be shaken up by the entrance of Islam Makhachev, the long-reigning lightweight titleholder.
Makhachev is vacating his title and moving up, bidding farewell to 155 pounds in pursuit of a place among the two-division champions on MMA’s biggest stage.
Predictions for how the Dagestani will fare have varied, especially when it comes to his expected matchup against newly crowned 170-pound champ Jack Della Maddalena.
But when it comes to the two men on display in the June 14 main event, welterweight Kevin Holland thinks Makhachev would make a statement.
“Islam smokes em,” Holland wrote on X moments after Usman defeated Buckley in Atlanta.
Kamaru Usman is targeting the winner of Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev
Usman has made it clear what he expects down the line.
After fighting down the rankings against the previously charging Buckley, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is targeting an opportunity to achieve two-time champ status in the welterweight division.
“Let’s be honest, I’m the biggest (name) in the division,” Usman said at the post-fight press conference.
“If Islam (beats Della Maddalena), former pound-for-pound, current pound-for-pound. Who doesn’t pay for that?”
Usman ruled over the weight class with an iron fist after emphatically unseating Tyron Woodley from the throne in 2019.
The 38-year-old put himself in the division’s GOAT discussion by defending the title five times before a come-from-behind head kick saw Leon Edwards end his reign.