After Islam Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, he didn’t just check off his dream of becoming a double champ. The Dagestani legend also reclaimed the pound-for-pound number one spot, which Ilia Topuria had briefly snatched away. And while most fans would agree that Makhachev deserves to sit back on top of the P4P mountain, former welterweight king Kamaru Usman seems to see things a little differently. 

To be honest, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ is still in a pretty solid spot to make another run at the welterweight title. Even though he’s sitting at number 8 in the 170 rankings and has just one win over Joaquin Buckley after dropping three straight. But those things don’t look like major hurdles when you remember how Kamaru Usman was once viewed as one of the division’s GOATs. Moreover, the current champ actually wants to fight him. So, the former king completely understands the dynamics, so he decided to stir the pot a bit by snubbing the Dagestani from his top of the P4P list. 

Kamaru Usman ranks Ilia Topuria above Islam Makhachev in the P4P list.

At the Pound for Pound podcast, Henry Cejudo started the conversation by asking Kamaru Usman, “Correct me if I’m wrong, Kamaru. If he fights these four fights and gets a finish over Petr Yan, how can you deny a guy, Merab Dvalishvilli, as pound-for-pound?” 

In an MMA hot take, Usman gave Merab Dvalishvili his flowers, acknowledging everything he’s done and the fact that he’s pushing to become the first UFC champ to defend his belt four times in a single year. Still, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ believes Ilia Topuria makes a stronger case than both ‘The Machine’ and even current P4P number one, Islam Makhachev.

“100% I put Merab. Remember, how my pound-for-pound list was? Merab one, excuse me, Ilia one. Merab 2, a very close 2, and then you have got Islam, and then you’ve got Alex Pereira.” Usman replied, “That’s where I have my top two, and the reason why I have Ilia is, not only did he stop [the] top two GOATs of the division back-to-back. He stopped them and then said, ‘I’m done with this division,’ left the belt, went up, and stopped one of the potential GOATs in that division. That’s the only reason I have Ilia there.” He added. 

Now, figuring out how the UFC’s P4P rankings actually work can be a tough task since there’s no hard-and-fast rule. But generally, the system leans toward giving extra credit when a champion moves up and beats the titleholder in the higher weight class. By that logic, both Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev have checked the same box. And the only real separating factor is that the Dagestani defended his belt four times in the 155 division. 

In that case, Merab most likely won’t grab that spot even if he beats Yan at UFC 323. But the way Usman pushed Makhachev down to number three, even though Makhachev already won a belt in the higher weight class, clearly hints that he wants the next smoke with the current champ. Also, Usman’s starting to get a little backing coming his way, too. Alexander Volkanovski, however, believes Usman could be his toughest challenge. 

Alexander Volkanovski backs Usman against the Dagestani champ

Following Islam Makhachev’s 25-minute masterclass against Jack Della Maddalena, UFC fans pretty much walked away convinced that nobody can hold a candle to the Dagestani, at least on the ground. However, Alexander Volkanovski thinks if anyone has a real shot, it’s the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’, and he pointed to Usman’s performance against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. 

‘The Great’ said on his YouTube video, “Who is going to give Islam problems? Usman’s there. Usman could be a problem. We’ve seen how he did well against Chimaev, as well, and he doesn’t take unnecessary risks. He’s smart, so I think Usman will be Islam’s toughest challenge. (He) won’t take any unnecessary risk, can stick to a game plan.”  

And that’s actually true. Even though the 170 division has some serious talent like Ian Garry, Carlos Prates, and Michael Morales, guys who built slick technical tools, especially when it comes to managing takedown defense. Still, it has to be admitted that Kamaru Usman remains the better wrestler. Because of that edge, he might actually be able to put Islam Makhachev on skates just like he showed against Chimaev, which only ended in a majority decision win for ‘Borz’.

With that said, it’s only a matter of time before we find out what Dana White wants to do with the division and whether he decides to line up Kamaru Usman against Islam Makhachev in the near future.