I'm very skeptical of this. I think you guys will see that JDM is actually further down the totem pole than you think.
I also believe the fact Islam couldn't overpower and finish JDM despite that much control time is an omen that will rear its head soon. His style and finishing ability is certainly different at WW, he fought well but he also had zero resistance.
There are no guarantees and JDM is one of the most unproven guys at the top of WW. Islam is a damn good fighter, but he's not destroying any win records. Islam takes too long between fights, all the contenders are ATLEAST a few years younger and more dangerous opponents than JDM. If he gets on the white house card he likely only fights again in 2027, if he doesn't make the white house card he likely fights in late 2026. He's realistically got like 1-2 fights left before these contenders really catch up. 25min of footage is a lot to learn from, Merab has been able to get away with it because he fights super often. The glory gained from beating Islam is going to create some monsters at WW, many fighters are going to peak in the next 1-2 years in that division.
My prediction is that even if he gets the Usman fight, I don't think he will defend the belt more than twice, three times is possible given the right matchups and activity, but I don't think he'll be active enough. Usman on a full camp also can't be overlooked, he can learn a lot from the JDM fight. Usman putting everything into what might be his final camp is an extremely tough fighter to beat.
