“You’d be foolish to keep fighting”- Joaquin Buckley suggests Islam Makhachev should retire after possible Kamaru Usman win

Joaquin Buckley has shared a strong opinion about Islam Makhachev’s future in the UFC. Buckley believes Makhachev should retire if he beats Kamaru Usman in a potential welterweight title fight. Makhachev recently made history at UFC 322. He beat Jack Della Maddalena by an unanimous decision. With that win, he became the 11th two-division champion in UFC history.

After the fight, the talk quickly shifted to what comes next. It is noteworthy that Kamaru Usman has been calling for a title shot for some time. A possible fight between Makhachev and Usman has lately gained momentum. Ali Abdelaziz, who manages both fighters, also supported the idea. Buckley believes that the fight should mark the end of Makhachev’s career if he wins.

Joaquin Buckley explains why Islam Makhachev should walk away from UFC for good

In an interview with Submission Radio, Joaquin Buckley explained his reasoning in detail. He believes both fighters would have little left to prove after the matchup.

Buckley said, “Whoever wins that fight between Islam vs. Kamaru can get out of here, because if Usman wins, he’s one and done, because he said he’s moving to get that title against Khamzat for the rematch. If Islam wins, he said he’s gonna hold it down for a long time, but I don’t believe that. If Islam gets the fight that he wants, that means not only did you submit your name at lightweight over your brother Khabib, but then you also got the double champ status, and then you also beat a GOAT in Usman. So you just pulled the Jon Jones.”

Buckley then questioned what more Makhachev could achieve.

“What else is there to do? What else can he do? You’d be foolish to keep fighting, because to me, Islam is not a natural 170 [pound] fighter, and that will get exposed if he fights a person like myself, Ian Garry, or Michael Morales”, he added.

Makhachev himself has also spoken about the possible fight. In an interview with Red Corner MMA, he explained why Usman would be his toughest challenge at welterweight.

He said, “I said I wanted to fight Kamaru Usman next. Although the media doesn’t believe in this fight, as I can see. But in my opinion, Usman would steamroll through these up-and-comers like Morales, Prates, and the striker. Those guys haven’t been checked yet. I think Usman would be the hardest fight for me.”

For now, the fight remains unconfirmed. But the debate around Makhachev’s future continues to grow in the UFC fraternity.

Also Read: Islam Makhachev reveals why he almost stopped the fight for teammate Tagir Ulanbekov during UFC Qatar bout