Islam Makhachev’s welterweight debut couldn’t have gone much better. He dominated Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, rarely lost a moment of control, and captured a second UFC belt without dropping a single round. On paper, it looked like the perfect launch into a new division. But in a weight class stacked with battle-tested contenders, dominance isn’t just measured by wins, it’s measured by who you beat next.

And according to Chael Sonnen, there’s a far more dangerous shadow looming behind Makhachev’s big moment. While Jack Della Maddalena entered the night as a champion and carrying an eight-fight UFC win streak, the welterweight landscape holds monsters of a different caliber. And one of them, former champion Kamaru Usman, might be the “scariest” of them all!

Chael Sonnen claims a win over Kamaru Usman is better for Islam Makhachev’s “resume”

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, ‘The Bad Guy’, laid out the dilemma bluntly as he stated, “I would prefer that (Shavkat) Rakhmonov, even though I fully admit he qualifies for a world title fight, I would like if we didn’t give it to him. I would like him to do something in between. But what would that be? Jack, maybe? Do you like that? What about Prates?”

But then, he pivoted to the real question for the viewers and fans: “How great do you think Rakhmonov is?” Because if the UFC wants danger, there’s someone even more terrifying. According to Sonnen, “Would you put him against Kamaru (Usman)? In my opinion Kamaru is the scariest guy in that bracket.” And that’s where things get interesting.

The UFC veteran wasn’t dismissing Islam Makhachev, as he continued in his YouTube video, “In my opinion, Islam has not taken that fear yet, and possibly it should go to Islam. Possibly it should. He’s the champion, he hasn’t lost a round, hasn’t lost to a single 170 pounder yet. In fact, he hasn’t even lost a round at 170. That’s a really, really big claim. But having on your resume a victory over Jack or having on your resume a victory over Kamaru Usman, you see where those are different.”

One is impressive. The other is era-defining. And to understand Sonnen’s warning, you have to look at ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’s body of work. He isn’t just a former champion, he’s arguably one of the greatest welterweights ever. Fifteen straight wins in the division. Five successful title defenses. Wins over Leon Edwards, Colby Covington (twice), Tyron Woodley, Rafael dos Anjos, and even a young Sean Strickland. Before his brief skid in 2022-23, Usman was untouchable, the kind of fighter who didn’t just beat contenders, he shut them down emphatically.

Jack Della Maddalena, by contrast, is a brilliant talent but far newer to the elite tier. He’s already collected four Performance of the Night bonuses, two Fight of the Night awards, and a former championship, but he doesn’t bring Kamaru Usman’s decade of dominance or resume of champions defeated.

As such, Chael Sonnen’s argument, in essence, is about scale. If Islam Makhachev wants to cement himself as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter ever, beating a legend carries more historic weight than beating a rising star.

And as it turns out, Usman is already campaigning for the matchup. Speaking to ESPN, he said, “I think the chances [of the fight happening next] are great, the time would be now.” In fact, even Islam Makhachev has admitted Usman is his preferred matchup. But according to the man who many believe to be not just the greatest welterweight of all time, but the GOAT, maybe ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ should re-evaluate his future plans?

Usman advised to “get out on top” by Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre, a fighter who walked away from the sport at the absolute peak of his powers, believes Kamaru Usman shouldn’t keep pushing the clock. In a recent livestream with Adin Ross, St-Pierre revealed he recently spoke with the former champion. He said Usman told him he intended to go for “one more stretch.” GSP’s reply? A warning wrapped in experience.

According to the legend, “I’m like, if you want one of my advice, Kamaru, because I like the guy, I said, ‘Do what you’ve got to do. Get it out of your system. But get out on top.’”

In St-Pierre’s view, the smartest exit is the one made at the summit, not the slide. Drawing from his own experience, he pointed out, “Oh, I should have. I could have done another one, another one’ – and that’s our ego talking. The same thing happened to me. But what happened is, you have a lot of opportunities that present itself to you because your stock is worth a lot of money. So health-wise it’s better, but also business-wise.”

Georges St-Pierre retired on a 13-fight winning streak, vacating both the welterweight and middleweight titles. Now he’s encouraging Kamaru Usman to consider whether chasing Makhachev is the right final mountain, or a risk that could rewrite the end of his story. After all, he only recently snapped a 3-fight losing skid in a fight against Joaquin Buckley. At 38, is it really the right move for him to be chasing a clash against the Dagestani juggernaut? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!