Islam Makhachev has backed Kamaru Usman to beat every top welterweight contender, dismissing recent hype around Joaquin Buckley in the process.
Speaking with Ushatayka ENG, the lightweight champion was asked about a potential move up in weight and how Usman would fare against today’s elite at 170 pounds.
Makhachev didn’t hesitate to throw his support behind the former welterweight king.
I’m confident that if you take those four, Kamaru Usman beats all of them. Recently, they were saying that Buckley is the new star. Kamaru doesn’t even break a sweat, and Buckley is already forgotten.
Buckley has enjoyed a late surge at welterweight, scoring high‑profile wins that pushed him into the title conversation before dropping a unanimous decision to Usman in June 2025.
Makhachev’s comments underline how highly he still rates Usman’s skill set despite the Nigerian’s title loss and mileage, and they add further intrigue to long‑standing talk of a future super fight between the dominant lightweight champion and the former welterweight ruler.