{"id":41937,"date":"2026-02-07T09:27:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T14:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/07\/islam-makhachevs-manager-names-front-runner-to-challenge-ufc-champion-as-negotiations-kick-off\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T09:27:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T14:27:23","slug":"islam-makhachevs-manager-names-front-runner-to-challenge-ufc-champion-as-negotiations-kick-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/07\/islam-makhachevs-manager-names-front-runner-to-challenge-ufc-champion-as-negotiations-kick-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Islam Makhachev\u2019s Manager Names Front-Runner to Challenge UFC Champion as Negotiations Kick Off"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/07\/islam-makhachevs-manager-names-front-runner-to-challenge-ufc-champion-as-negotiations-kick-off\/#Makhachevs_Manager_Names_the_Leading_Contender_for_His_Next_Fight\" >Makhachev\u2019s Manager Names the Leading Contender for His Next Fight<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/07\/islam-makhachevs-manager-names-front-runner-to-challenge-ufc-champion-as-negotiations-kick-off\/#Problematic_UFC_Matchmaking_Prioritizes_Popularity_Over_Merit\" >Problematic UFC Matchmaking Prioritizes Popularity Over Merit<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Islam Makhachev has several contenders to face at welterweight, but one opponent clearly stands out.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Following his victory over Jacques Della Maddalena to claim the UFC welterweight title late last year, Islam Makhachev has been inactive, waiting for his next matchup.<\/p>\n<p>That same event not only saw Makhachev crowned champion at 170 pounds, but it also featured multiple impressive performances from other welterweight contenders.<\/p>\n<p>Fighters like Michael Morales, Carlos Prates, and Ian Machado Garry have voiced their intentions to challenge for the belt, yet Makhachev and his camp have a different perspective.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Makhachevs_Manager_Names_the_Leading_Contender_for_His_Next_Fight\"><\/span>Makhachev\u2019s Manager Names the Leading Contender for His Next Fight<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Right after beating Della Maddalena, Makhachev stirred excitement among UFC fans by expressing interest in facing Kamaru Usman next.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Usman\u2019s recent record of just one win and three losses over his last four bouts, indicating a decline, Makhachev\u2019s team still considers him the top candidate for the next title fight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are discussing the next opponent, and Kamaru Usman is among the possible contenders,\u201d Rizvan Magomedov, Makhachev\u2019s manager, told Sport24.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you ask us, we want that fight too, because it\u2019s one of the biggest matchups in the division right now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs always, the ultimate decision is up to the promotion. Islam is ready to defend his title&#8230; From a media standpoint, a fight against Kamaru Usman would attract the most attention and viewership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Magomedov likely aims to generate hype around Makhachev\u2019s next defense, most UFC fans are indifferent to the prospect of a Usman rematch, diminishing its overall impact.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, fans should prepare for Makhachev versus Usman as the forthcoming bout, with the former champion recently ramping up his training and sharing clips on social media.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Problematic_UFC_Matchmaking_Prioritizes_Popularity_Over_Merit\"><\/span>Problematic UFC Matchmaking Prioritizes Popularity Over Merit<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In the past year, it\u2019s become apparent that UFC matchmaking strategies heavily favor marketability, often at the expense of merit-based competition.<\/p>\n<p>Still, a showdown between Morales and Machado Garry seems likely to determine the official number one contender, with the victor earning a guaranteed shot at Makhachev\u2019s title.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Fan Take:<\/strong> This development highlights the ongoing tension between fan-driven meritocracy and UFC\u2019s business-driven matchmaking, which impacts the sport\u2019s competitive integrity. If Makhachev faces Usman again despite other worthy challengers, it may set a precedent that marketability can overshadow deserving contenders, affecting the division\u2019s future landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Islam Makhachev has several contenders to face at welterweight, but one opponent clearly stands out. Following his victory over Jacques Della Maddalena to claim the UFC welterweight title late last year, Islam Makhachev has been inactive, waiting for his next matchup. That same event not only saw Makhachev crowned champion at 170 pounds, but it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2444],"class_list":{"0":"post-41937","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-fighting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}