Watch: Islam Makhachev jokes about Khabib Nurmagomedov returning at welterweight to fight Kamaru Usman
During a special ESPN post-fight show after his victory over Bobby Green, Islam Makhachev joked about Khabib Nurmagomedov returning to the UFC to face welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
The witty remark was due to Nurmagomedov's current weight, a significant increase when compared to his 155-pounder days. 'The Eagle' looks like a welterweight or middleweight right now and Makhachev feels Usman should beware of him.
"Now, I cannot practice [with him]. Maybe, you can. Now, you are in the same weight division [welterweight]. But you have to care about it. Maybe, he's gonna come back and he is not gonna be at 155. He fights 170 for sure," quipped Makhachev.
Watch Islam Makhachev in conversation with Kamaru Usman and ESPN host Karyn Bryant below:
Usman, who worked as a desk analyst for ESPN at UFC Fight Night 202 on Saturday night, then added that Nurmagomedov would be suitable for the light heavyweight division at the moment.
Competing in the main event for the night, Makhachev brushed aside Green via TKO, using heavy ground and pound in the very first round at UFC Vegas 49. The No.4-ranked lightweight contender has now won 10 fights in a row.
Kamaru Usman is the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter and has made five successful title defenses so far
Kamaru Usman replaced former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones as the No.1-ranked men's pound-for-pound fighter in September last year.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' then went on to make a fifth successful welterweight title defense in the rematch versus No.1 contender Colby Covington at UFC 268 inside New York City's historic Madison Square Garden last November.
Usman is currently lapping up the UFC's 170-pound weight class, having won both fights against Covington and No.6-ranked Jorge Masvidal. He is now expected to take on another rematch with No.3 contender Leon Edwards later this year.
Work time for the P4P King 👑
[ @Usman84kg | #UFCVegas49 Prelims LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] https://t.co/GGWfYzkY6W
If 'The Nigerian Nightmare' beats Edwards again, he will have a number of rising contenders to deal with. Perhaps Usman will take on the winner of either the rumored UFC 273 clash between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev in April 2022 or Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad the same month.
Interestingly, Kamaru Usman has stated that he is not interested in moving up to the middleweight division and challenging his 'African brother' Israel Adesanya. So, in all likelihood, he will be looking to rack up enough defenses to emulate Matt Hughes (7) and eventually Georges St-Pierre (9).