Usman insists he can dethrone Makhachev despite slipping down welterweight rankings

Kamaru Usman believes he has the style to beat Islam Makhachev, despite sitting outside the immediate title picture at welterweight following a run of mixed results and extended ring rust.

Makhachev successfully defended his UFC welterweight title at UFC 330, edging Ian Garry via unanimous decision in a contest that tested the Dagestani champion more than many anticipated. It was Makhachev’s second bout at 170 pounds, and Usman wasted no time in positioning himself as a credible future challenger.

“There are really good guys coming up that are going to turn into killers,” Usman said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “But right now, being honest with you, with all the styles that I see and the MMA mathematics… How it works out, I felt that, hey, styles make fights, I’m telling you guys, I can get that done.”

The argument carries some historical weight. When Makhachev moved up to claim the welterweight belt by stopping Jack Della Maddalena last November, Makhachev himself named Usman as his most dangerous potential opponent. At the time, the former champion was actively lobbying for the shot.

However, a 20-month absence from the Octagon cost Usman his place at the front of the line. Garry, Carlos Prates and Michael Morales all moved ahead of him in the 170-pound rankings during that period.

Usman’s recent record has done little to strengthen his case. He lost the welterweight title to Leon Edwards via knockout in 2022 — one of the most dramatic upsets in UFC history — and dropped the rematch the following year. A move to middleweight produced a hard-fought majority-decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev before Usman returned to welterweight and beat Joaquin Buckley to end his layoff. A subsequent middleweight outing ended in a unanimous decision defeat to undisputed champion Dricus Du Plessis.

Now back at welterweight and with two bouts at 170 pounds behind him again, Usman is making his case publicly. Whether the UFC matchmakers share his confidence in the stylistic argument remains to be seen, with Garry, Prates and Morales all holding stronger claims to the next title shot.