Ian Machado Garry thinks Kamaru Usman should have no part of the welterweight title picture.
Both newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) and Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) have reciprocated interest in fighting each other next, which worries Machado Garry (16-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and the other top contenders.
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Machado Garry will look to cement his spot as No. 1 contender when he takes on former champion Belal Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 265 co-headliner at ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar (ESPN+), but he may end up being leapfrogged by Usman – which would not sit well with the Irishman.
“Do I think the champion of the world, one of the pound-for-pound best in the world should fight a has-been, someone who used to be great but isn’t great anymore? No,” Machado Garry said during Wednesday’s media day.
“Where is he now in the rankings? Eight or nine? The last fight he had was against a guy who had like seven losses in the UFC? No. Islam Makhachev is a phenomenal fighter, and he needs to fight one of the young, up-and-coming contenders, not a has-been who has no knees.”
Machado Garry said he understands why Makhachev prefers fighting former champion Usman.
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“If I was Islam, I would want to fight Kamaru Usman, too because it’s an easy paycheck, it’s an easy win, it’s an easy way for me to get my first title defense at welterweight,” Machado Garry continued. “But when you’ve got the likes of me – if you look at the four main contenders right now: Shavkat (Rakhmonov), me, (Carlos) Prates, (Michael) Morales. What do we all have in common?
“Long, tall, rangy, powerful, and full of youth. Way more dangerous than the guy who used to be the greatest. Not in a million years, that to me is a cop-out. You need to fight one of the up-and-comers. One of the guys that are hungry, that have that passion, that have not felt what it feels like to be a champion, that are driven to achieve their dreams.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ian Machado Garry: Kamaru Usman is ‘a has-been who has no knees’
