Daniel Cormier believes Islam Makhachev is receiving ‘Kamaru Usman treatment’ at lightweight: “Nobody wants to fight him”

Daniel Cormier believes that Islam Makhachev is receiving the “Kamaru Usman” treatment by suggesting nobody in the top 15 wants to fight him.

Makhachev, who is currently riding a seven-fight win streak in the UFC, is set to fight Thiago Moisés this July in a bout that has left many fans confused. While Thiago is certainly a worthy opponent, the popular opinion seems to be that Makhachev could quite easily be booked against someone placed higher up in the 155-pound division.

The aforementioned Cormier, who has spent a lot of time watching Makhachev train and fight, believes he’s going down the same path as Kamaru Usman – another man who struggled to get top fighters to compete against him.

DC compares Islam Makhachev's difficulty in securing a top 10 opponent to that of Kamaru Usman during his rise 📈

(via @dc_mma) pic.twitter.com/EJKZucs6wb

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 18, 2021

“Nobody will fight him. Islam [Makhachev is] just gonna smash ’em all. He’ll beat ’em all. I know for a fact, [the fight] was offered to Felder, it was offered to RDA, it was offered to a number of guys in that top 10, and these guys won’t fight him. I don’t know what more he can do but just to compete, make money, and keep working his way toward the championship. It’s very reminiscent of when Kamaru Usman was coming up.”

Rafael dos Anjos actually did accept a fight against Makhachev, only for the bout to be called off twice due to RDA testing positive for COVID-19 before Islam suffered a staph infection.

The lightweight division seems to be as stacked as it ever has been before. Yet even with that being the case, a large portion of fans and pundits are still willing to bet the house on Makhachev becoming a star.

Do you think Islam Makhachev has what it takes to become UFC lightweight champion by the end of 2022? When will he fight a top-five opponent? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, BJPENN Nation!