Asserting his dominance a division higher at UFC 322, Islam Makhachev joined an elite club of stars to win two championships in separate weight classes overnight.
Extending his winning spree to 16 fights along with his shutout decision win over Jack Della Maddalena, Islam Makhachev has joined Anderson Silva for essentially the most consecutive victories in promotional history.
And now ruling the roost at welterweight with last night’s victory, a bunch of challengers have already staked their claim for a shot on the Russian.
Nonetheless, narrowing down the potential shortlist of foes to only three, join us as we pick from the bunch some stars who could do the unthinkable and end Makhachev’s reign of supremacy.
- LATEST NEWS — Khamzat Chimaev gives a two-word response to Islam Makhachev’s welterweight title win at UFC 322
1. Ilia Topuria
Ceaselessly tied to unbeaten Spanish finisher Ilia Topuria, fellow two-weight champion Islam Makhachev continues to attract links to an eventual showdown with the present lightweight kingpin.
And off the back of his win last night, those calls for a brilliant fight with fellow gold holder Topuria proceed to grow louder, especially with the previous’s tackle Makhachev’s performance.
Already staking his claim for a return next summer on the incoming UFC White House event, Makhachev has some options for his immediate future in the game.
Nonetheless, if he elects to return to his former stomping grounds at lightweight, it will prove an interesting stylistic matchup against Topuria — given the champion’s elite striking and infrequently missed grappling background.
2. Shavkat Rakhmonov
Somewhat the forgotten man at welterweight, unbeaten finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov has been tormented by a large number of injuries since his last enterprise to the Octagon.
Taking home a title eliminator win over Ian Garry a yr ago, Rakhmonov was forced the gap for the primary time in his profession, improving to 19-0.
Still retaining the number three rank within the division, Rakhmonov showed some holes in his game against Garry at UFC 310; nevertheless, the undeniable fact that the Uzbekistan star can mix all of it up together throughout the course of a matchup makes him an eye catching challenger for Makhachev.
I personally would really like to see Rakhmonov return with a win over one other top-ranked contender within the division before booking a fight with Makhachev; nevertheless, if the duo ever stand opposite one another within the Octagon, it’s an intriguing clash.
3. Kamaru Usman
Certainly one of the more likely opponents to face Makhachev next is his Dominance MMA stablemate, former undisputed champion Kamaru Usman.
Already voicing his interest within the pairing ahead of UFC 322, Makhachev and Usman share the identical manager in the shape of Ali Abdelaziz.
And snapping a three-fight losing run against Joaquin Buckley earlier this summer, Usman has confirmed his impending retirement tour, which incorporates one final outing for the welterweight title before a return to middleweight in chase of a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev.
Years ago, this matchup was absolutely scintillating, given Usman’s own dominant wrestling and grappling.
Nonetheless, the 38-year-old is well past his best, but on his day — as evident along with his win over Buckley, he can still hang with a number of the higher welterweights within the division.
It still stays an interesting pairing, particularly next for Makhachev if he desires to get a notable name on his ever-growing résumé as he continues to grab headlines because the potential biggest of all time.