Joaquin Buckley believes Makhachev is just passing through welterweight

One of the astir absorbing fighters today, 30-year-old Joaquin Buckley, made it wide that helium does not judge that Islam Makhachev volition person a agelong vocation successful the welterweight division. While galore judge that the Dagestani is acceptable for challenges successful the caller value division, the superb American has a antithetic opinion.

Ahead of his large combat against erstwhile champion Kamaru Usman, which volition instrumentality spot this Saturday astatine the UFC connected ESPN 69 lawsuit successful Atlanta, Buckley hopes that helium volition go the adjacent morganatic challenger.

"When I bushed Kamaru Usman, there's nary debate, there's nary doubt, there's nary argument, we're next," helium declared connected his YouTube channel.

Makhachev against the champion? Buckley is not impressed

Although it has been confirmed that the combatant from Dagestan volition soon look Jack Della Maddalena, the existent welterweight champion, Buckley believes that the combat has been overblown successful the media.

"And past this lightweight feline comes on who thinks he's going to instrumentality my place. No, we can't person that. The combat betwixt JDM and Islam is not a large match. JDM is the existent satellite champion, but I honestly judge that Islam has to hold for maine to instrumentality that belt, due to the fact that I'm going to beryllium his toughest opponent."

What volition happen?

Without mincing words, "New Mansa" believes that Islam has nary existent tendency to look him seriously.

"He's not going to overwhelm me. He's not going to unit maine to submit," helium said, earlier continuing:

"I've ne'er been forced to taxable successful my career, and he's decidedly not going to combat maine connected my feet. If radical privation to spot it, the combat volition beryllium arranged."

Although the media is talking astir a imaginable duel betwixt Makhachev and the Australian champion, Buckley stresses that the Dagestani is conscionable a passing fancy.

"If Islam someway gets that accidental and beats JDM, helium won't enactment successful the division. He'll retire. He'll leave, he'll quit, due to the fact that helium knows he's not a earthy combatant astatine 77kg, and particularly erstwhile it comes to me, he'll decidedly tally distant from idiosyncratic similar me."

Buckley is assured successful his presumption and is acceptable to bash large things. If helium beats the erstwhile champion, it would beryllium hard to reason against his words.