A UFC welterweight contender has given his two cents on who should be Islam Makhachev’s next opponent and which fighter has all it takes to stop Makhachev.
The two-division champion who currently sits on the 170-pound throne is also the pound-for-pound king. He is expected to make his first title defense in August. Makhachev suffered a hand injury last month, but recent training footage that has surfaced shows that the 34-year-old’s hand is healed and he is gearing up for his next bout
Among potential opponents are Ian Machado Garry and Michael Morales.
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Gilbert Burns weighs in on who has the best chance of dethroning Islam Makhachev
Despite being knocked out by Michael Morales in the first stanza of their welterweight clash in 2025, “Durinho” believes the undefeated Ecuadorian will be easy game for Islam Makhachev.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, when asked to share his thoughts on who he thinks could dethrone the Dagestani wrestling maestro, Gilbert Burns said:
“I think Ian [Machado] Garry is a very hard fight for Islam [Makhachev]. He is so fast, very fast, with dangerous knees, getting better at his jiu-jitsu. I think Ian Garry and Kamaru Usman are very difficult fights for Islam Makhachev, and not easy at all. They are tall and big and have a good reach and [experience].”
Check out Gilbert Burns‘ comments below:
About Michael Morales, Burns believes that the former is “huge” and has enough power to put Makhachev to sleep. But the Russian has better and more effective tools with which he can control, outgrapple, and perhaps even submit Morales in the later rounds if they ever end up locking horns.
Burns, on the other hand, is currently on a four-fight losing skid. He will look to return to winning ways this weekend at UFC Winnipeg when he locks horns with Mike Malott in the main event.
