Daniel Cormier believes Islam Makhachev isn’t fighting top-15 fighters because he is getting the same treatment Kamaru Usman faced.
Makhachev, who is currently riding a 7-fight win streak, was recently scheduled to face Thiago Moises in his next bout. While Moises is no doubt an opponent who shouldn’t be overlooked, he also is currently ranked well below Makhachev in the standings. Many questioned why Makhachev, who is widely believed to be a star in the making, wasn’t put against someone in the official rankings.
Cormier, who trains alongside Makhachev at AKA, says that no one in the top-10 is willing to face the Dagestani fighter, much in the same way no one wanted to fight Usman during his ascension to the title (H/T ESPN MMA).
DC compares Islam Makhachev's difficulty in securing a top 10 opponent to that of Kamaru Usman during his rise
(via @dc_mma) pic.twitter.com/EJKZucs6wb
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 18, 2021
“Nobody will fight him,” Cormier said. “Islam [Makhachev is] just gonna smash ’em all. He’ll beat ’em all. I know for a fact, [the fight] was offered to Felder, it was offered to RDA, it was offered to a number of guys in that top 10, and these guys won’t fight him. I don’t know what more he can do but just to compete, make money, and keep working his way toward the championship. It’s very reminiscent of when Kamaru Usman was coming up.”
For the record, Rafael dos Anjos actually did accept a fight against Makhachev, only for it to twice fall apart; first when RDA tested positive for COVID-19, then after Makhachev suffered a staph infection.
Despite lacking that one big name on his resume, many still believe Makhachev will one day sit upon the UFC lightweight throne. If he is able to get past Moises in the same fashion he has all his other opponents then it is only a matter of time before the UFC will be forced to give him a fight for contender status.
Do you agree with Daniel Cormier that the top lighweights are ducking Islam Makhachev? Let us know!