{"id":6704,"date":"2026-02-14T00:27:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T23:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=6704"},"modified":"2026-02-14T14:51:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T13:51:17","slug":"why-islam-makhachev-is-central-to-nate-diazs-ufc-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/why-islam-makhachev-is-central-to-nate-diazs-ufc-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Islam Makhachev Is Central to Nate Diaz\u2019s UFC Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2741\" data-end=\"3049\">At the top of the UFC welterweight division, the debate is no longer about who holds the belt, but <strong data-start=\"2840\" data-end=\"2875\">who truly deserves a shot at it<\/strong>. The future of champion <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Islam Makhachev<\/span><\/span> remains uncertain, shaped by a complex mix of sporting merit, strategic positioning, and promotional interests.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3051\" data-end=\"3432\">Since capturing the title with a decision victory over <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Jack Della Maddalena<\/span><\/span> at UFC 322 last November, Makhachev has yet to receive an official challenger. While the champion has openly expressed his desire to face former division king <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Kamaru Usman<\/span><\/span>, that matchup appears increasingly dependent on factors beyond competitive logic alone.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3434\" data-end=\"3687\">This is where <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Michael Bisping<\/span><\/span> enters the conversation with an alternative perspective. According to the former champion turned analyst, the UFC may be leaning toward a different contender: <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Ian Garry<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_34022\"  width=\"696\" height=\"391\"  data-origwidth=\"696\" data-origheight=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y9Qlu8_xJu8?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3689\" data-end=\"4112\">Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bisping builds his case around sustained legitimacy. Currently ranked number one in the world, Garry has earned his position through consistent, high-level performances rather than hype. His five-round battle against <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Shavkat Rakhmonov<\/span><\/span> in a decisive number-one contender bout stands as a defining moment, where he came close to securing a submission in the final round.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4114\" data-end=\"4451\">Since then, the Irishman has continued to solidify his claim. A dominant showing against former champion <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Belal Muhammad<\/span><\/span>, followed by a statement win over rising contender <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Carlos Prates<\/span><\/span>, has reinforced the perception that Garry is no longer a prospect, but a cornerstone of the division.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_96662\"  width=\"696\" height=\"391\"  data-origwidth=\"696\" data-origheight=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JJ7bzoMjhLI?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4453\" data-end=\"4654\">For Bisping, Garry\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 speaks for itself. He argues that when matched with the division\u2019s true elite \u2014 whether established names or emerging threats \u2014 the Irish fighter has consistently delivered.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4656\" data-end=\"4963\">However, turning this scenario into reality requires one final piece: approval from the champion\u2019s camp. Makhachev\u2019s manager, <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Ali Abdelaziz<\/span><\/span>, has recently downplayed the possibility of a fight with Garry, favoring an alternative opponent deemed more suitable from their perspective.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4965\" data-end=\"5133\">This leaves the division at a crossroads:<br data-start=\"5006\" data-end=\"5009\" \/><strong data-start=\"5009\" data-end=\"5133\">is the next title defense decided by rankings and performances, or by influence and negotiation power behind the scenes?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the top of the UFC welterweight division, the debate is no longer about who holds the belt, but who truly deserves a shot at it. The future of champion Islam Makhachev remains uncertain, shaped by a complex mix of sporting merit, strategic positioning, and promotional interests. Since capturing the title with a decision victory [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,86,21,91],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6704","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"category-mma-video","9":"category-ufc-news","10":"category-ufc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6704"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6704"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6706,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6704\/revisions\/6706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}