Should former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman step into a title shot against current champ Islam Makhachev, despite having only fought once in two years? No, according to former Bellator and ONE champion Ben
Askren, who’s miraculous recovery after a double-lung transplant is one of the feel good stories of 2025.
Ben Askren is an old guard fighter, so you might think he’d have a soft spot for a legacy guy like Usman getting one more kick at the championship can before riding off into the sunset. But instead, “Funky” wants to see the next generation of welterweights get their chance.
“I know I’ve had issues with him, so I don’t want to sound biased,” Askren said of Usman in an interview with Helen Yee. “He obviously was a champion for a long time, but it’s been a a little bit, and he’s had a few losses more recently.”
“The welterweight belt has changed hands a whole bunch of times,” Ben added. “He lost to Leon. Leon lost to Belal. Belal lost to Jack Della Maddalena. JDM lost to [Makhachev] so it’s not like he lost to the last guy, and now he’s getting a rematch or something. So I feel like the newer guys at welterweight have done enough to justify title shots for themselves.”
Usman was a familiar name in the UFC through the pandemic, and we would not be surprised if the promotion tries to cash in on that name value as they try to put on big shows for their new broadcast partner Paramount+. But “Funky” is a hard work appreciator, and he’d rather see the guys actually competing get their due rather than Usman, who is 1-3 over the past three years.
“I know the ‘favorites’ card gets played sometimes in MMA and with Dana,” he said. “You know, Paddy gets the title shot, and maybe he doesn’t totally deserve it. I like to see when the guys earn it. And I don’t love Ian Garry, but I really think he has earned it. So it’ll be interesting to see how those younger guys do in the next couple years.”
Whatever happens at welterweight isn’t likely to happen before April, as the UFC is booked up solid until March when Ramadan kicks in, and champs like Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev shut down their camps. Who do you want to see compete against Makhachev next, Maniacs? Let us know in the comments below!
