Kamaru Usman’s former rival believes that the welterweight champion may very well be making a mistake.
Islam Makhachev has remained firm that Usman is the opponent that he desires to face next in his first defense of the 170 pound title.
Considering the opposite contenders who’re in the combo at welterweight, this decision has been met with quite a lot of pushback.
Belal Muhammad argued that Usman doesn’t deserve this chance as a result of turning down other matchups after returning to the win column earlier this yr.
Nevertheless, a fighter who knows ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ well agrees with the reigning champion that that is the hardest fight on the market for him immediately.
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Does Kamaru Usman need to fight Islam Makhachev after every part he’s completed?
How do you’re feeling in regards to the former champ potentially getting a title shot? Tell us within the comments.
Jorge Masvidal believes Kamaru Usman is Islam Makhachev’s ‘most dangerous fight’
Islam Makhachev, who was approached about fighting in January, could face several contenders who’ve never fought for a UFC title before in his next bout.
Kamaru Usman’s manager argued against this by saying he believes that his fighter’s legacy is what should earn him the primary shot at the brand new champion.
Usman, who defeated Joaquin Buckley earlier this yr to snap a three-fight losing skid, poses some interesting problems to Makhachev as his potential challenger.
Jorge Masvidal referenced this when sharing his opinion on the fight in a recent episode of his Death Row MMA podcast.
“I feel that is essentially the most dangerous fight for Makhachev at 170, man. With little question about it,” Masvidal stated. “That’s an enormous step up in competition I feel from Jack Della Maddalena.”
‘Gamebred’, who was beaten twice by Usman, pointed to his former opponent’s ability to counter the champion’s wrestling as an enormous problem for Makhachev to beat.
Masvidal said that while he rates Della Maddalena, he doesn’t imagine you’ll be able to compare his game to Usman’s specifically with regard to grappling.
“His wrestling defense isn’t bad either, he’s a very good scrambler and stuff but he’s not on Usman’s level in any way with defensive prowess,” Masvidal assessed. “Usman can wrestle defensively. I feel that is considered one of the hardest fights for Makhachev immediately. I don’t know in the event that they’re going to need to take that one.”
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Georges St-Pierre broke down the right way to beat someone like Islam Makhachev
During a recent appearance on TheBreakTalk, Georges St-Pierre explained that having the ability to match Islam Makhachev’s wrestling and win the striking exchanges are key to beating the welterweight champion.
Jorge Masvidal suggesting that Kamaru Usman may very well be the guy to do this makes the concept of them facing off more appealing, even when many don’t imagine it should occur next.
St-Pierre specifically referenced his teammate Mansour Barnaoui when explaining what it takes to essentially challenge someone like Makhachev.
The Russian defeated Barnaoui back in 2013, winning a unanimous decision at M-1 Challenge 38.
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