"That's the matchup" - Josh Thomson gives ideal next opponent for Islam Makhachev
Josh Thomson recently discussed who he would like to see his AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) teammate Islam Makhachev fight next. Speaking to co-host John McCarthy on the Weighing in podcast, Thomson asserted that he’d like to see Makhachev face Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title.
The UFC has been trying to rebook the much-discussed Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush matchup that fell apart earlier this year after Dariush sustained an injury. Regardless, Josh Thomson shot down a possible Makhachev-Dariush fight. Addressing what’s next for the Dagestani, Thomson stated:
“To me, Charles Oliveira-Islam Makhachev is the fight to make. Everyone says, ‘Oh, he’s gotta fight Dariush first.’ No. Okay, fine, I’ll fight Dariush, but it’s gotta happen soon. Is Dariush ready to fight? And then, the other thing is, why are you getting rid of one of your number-one contenders?”
Thomson proceeded to point out that Oliveira has already beaten most of the top-tier UFC lightweights, including Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.
‘The Punk’ pointed out that 'Do Bronx' hasn’t fought Makhachev and Dariush yet, adding that the Dagestani has defeated better opposition than Dariush has:
“That's the matchup," Thomson noted, regarding the Oliveira-Makhachev fight. He added, "Because if you do Dariush and Islam, you’re getting rid of the number-one contender. You’re gonna have one guy fight for the title. The other guy’s gonna drop off. And then you have a mix again of Dustin, Dariush, Chandler, and Justin, all in the mix. Why not just have Islam fight for the title? He’s on a longer undefeated streak.”
Thomson highlighted that he’d like to see Dariush fight Chandler or have the Iranian-American clash against Gaethje. He insinuated that the winner of either fight could compete for the lightweight belt next.
Watch the full video below:
Joe Rogan believes Islam Makhachev should fight Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title
Charles Oliveira beat Justin Gaethje via first-round submission in the UFC 274 headlining matchup. However, since Oliveira missed weight at UFC 274, he was stripped of his lightweight title heading into the fight and only 'The Higlight' was eligible to win the title.
Charles Oliveira taps out Justin Gaethje in the first round and takes his win streak to 11 in a row! 🙌
#UFC274 https://t.co/8lKjzylY8p
Presently, the lightweight belt is vacant, and the consensus is that Oliveira will surely compete for the vacant belt next. UFC president Dana White has been trying to rebook the Makhachev-Dariush matchup to determine who’ll face 'Do Bronx' for the vacant belt.
Nevertheless, veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan has reportedly advised White to let Islam Makhachev fight Oliveira for the belt rather than having him (Makhachev) fight Dariush first. The UFC is yet to officially announce who’ll fight for the lightweight title next.
White still wants to make Makhachev vs. Dariush, but says that Joe Rogan stopped him in the hall tonight and told him not to.
White says Makhachev vs. Dariush would determine the #1 contender.