UFC: Daniel Cormier backs Islam Makhachev to succeed lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov
- Former double champ Cormier thinks AKA teammate is ‘ready to make a run at the top of the division’
- ‘I really do believe Islam is as talented as anyone in the world and has the fighting style to present a lot of problems’
Former UFC double champ Daniel Cormier has backed his American Kickboxing Academy teammate Islam Makhachev to inject himself into the lightweight title picture.
UFC president Dana White will attempt to convince Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) to perform a U-turn on his shock retirement when they meet next month.
But the 31-year-old from Dagestan told Russian media this week he saw three fighters who were likely to win his vacant belt – Conor McGregor (22-4), Dustin Poirier (26-6), and Makhachev (18-1).
McGregor and Poirier will rematch in the UFC 257 main event on Fight Island next month, but it is No 13-ranked Makhachev who is the wild card inclusion, given he hasn’t fought since a unanimous decision win over Davi Ramos (10-4) at UFC 242 in September 2019.
“You heard what he said, they could eventually succeed him, I think he listed three guys,” UFC broadcast analyst Cormier, 41, told SCMP MMA. “Conor, Dustin and Islam, he thinks those are the top three guys in the weight class. He was saying down the line these three guys are probably in the running, or should be considered the leads for that belt.
“But let’s not forgot about Charles Oliveira, what he did to Tony Ferguson – the guy is the real deal. So I think that you add him to the mix.