Islam Makhachev achieved glory at UFC 322 by hoisting two belts at the same time. But the Dagestani icon wasn’t done chasing greatness. Now, the newly crowned welterweight champ wants to extend his legacy in his new division as well. To accomplish that feat, Makhachev called out former P4P king Kamaru Usman for a showdown, which got Din Thomas’ stamp of approval.

Though it’s true that the current 170 lbs king vs ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ would sell an entire arena in a flash, many fans and experts found this matchup a bit one-sided. They pointed out that at 38 years old, Kamaru Usman is way out of his prime. Furthermore, they also feel that the Nigerian just got back to the win column after three straight losses and shouldn’t fight for the title unless he gets on a winning streak. Still, despite all these factors, Thomas believes Dana White should make this blockbuster fight.

Din Thomas urges Dana White to make Islam Makhachev vs Kamaru Usman

“In terms of selling a fight for Islam Makhachev, Kamaru Usman on paper might be the best guy for him to fight next because he’s the guy who Dana said is the greatest welterweight champion of all time. He’s had this long run as welterweight champion, and on paper, it’s the easiest way to sell it than to try and create some new monster for Islam. So, I can see them doing that, so I’m actually OK with the fight.” Thomas told MMA Junkie.

The UFC analyst definitely believes that the Makhachev vs Usman fight will be a banger. Yet, Thomas had to admit that the Dagestani icon would be a massive favorite in this matchup and possibly walk away with victory. Using that conviction, the former fighter thinks that putting ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ vs the Dagestani champion would give time for other young and hungry contenders to develop and grow.  

“I’m assuming that if they put Usman in that spot, they’re expecting Islam to win. And it would look great on Islam’s resume if he beats such a long-standing champion. So by doing that, you’re not knocking off a Morales right away, at least. You could still have time to increase the exposure for Morales and Shavkat,” Din Thomas added. 

Now, it’s absolutely true that the matchup between two UFC superstars would grab some massive eyes. However, it has to be recognized that Ian Garry is also another clash the promotion could explore. Well, who wouldn’t want to go seven years back and live Russia vs Ireland once again? So, that’s an option too.

Yet, a former welterweight champ believes there’s influential power at play, which is eventually going to make Islam vs Kamaru happen.  

Belal Muhammad calls out Ali Abdelaziz for pushing the welterweight superfight  

Contrary to Din Thomas’ opinion, the former 170 lbs king, Belal Muhammad, believes that Kamaru Usman doesn’t deserve a title shot against Islam Makhachev. Instead, ‘Remember the Name’ picks Ecuadorian powerhouse Michael Morales, who just secured a massive knockout against Sean Brady at UFC 322, to face the Dagestani champion. 

“When I look at the welterweight division, Islam being the champion, who do I think deserves it? Who do I think has earned it? Michael Morales for sure has earned it. But, we see Islam planting the seeds of Usman being the next guy, obviously they have the same manager. Manager’s planting seeds in his head for who it should be.” Muhammad said on his YouTube channel. 

For the unversed, the Dominance MMA CEO is the manager of both Islam Makhachev and Kamaru Usman. While acting as a manager, the Egyptian is also their friend. So, he definitely would want to see this matchup. Moreover, Ali will also receive fat checks as a managerial cut from both champions as well. Also, recently, he revealed that the UFC actually pushed Usman, Islam, and also Garry to headline the January event. 

These are a few reasons that Belal didn’t mention, but could be a possible motivation for Ali to push this fight, which is fair. But the question remains: Is Dana White going to be interested? Let us know in the comments section below.