Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is in a position where he is lined up to do great things. However he is not rushing the idea of moving up in weight, instead choosing to focus on a fight with Jorge Masvidal next.
With his win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 258, Usman surpassed GSP’s record for most consecutive wins at 170lb. While this was just his third title defense, there is no denying that Kamaru is on a path to greatness, especially if he continues to win.
In fact, Dana White has even gone as far as to say it is inevitable that Kamaru will eventually surpass Georges St-Pierre as the welterweight GOAT. That may end up being true, but there is still a lot of work to do first.
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Moving To Middleweight On One Condition
One thing that would clearly boost the resume of Kamaru Usman, is if he were to get the coveted status of champ-champ. He is not opposed to the idea of moving to middleweight, but only under one condition.
Speaking in a recent interview, the Nigerian Nightmare explained that he would only try to pursue the middleweight strap if Israel Adesanya was no longer champion. Not because he is afraid of the matchup, but because he does not want to steal something from another African champion.
“If (Adesanya’s) willing to give up that 185 belt and say ‘I don’t want to have anything to do with that division anymore,’ then absolutely. I would entertain that thought,” Usman explained.
“But on no account right now would I ever entertain going up to fight with Izzy. That’s just not something that I’m interested in.
“I’ve stated it over and over and over before, I’d rather there be two African’s with belts as opposed to one African with two belts. And you know, after March there’s going to be three Africans with four belts, so it’s a good time to be an African. Good time.”
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Kamaru Usman Runs Miami
While a move to middleweight is not in the cards right now, Kamaru Usman does have his next goal in mind. After UFC 258, he made it clear that he wants to have a rematch with Jorge Masvidal.
As much as he is down for this fight, Kamaru says that Masvidal knows he cannot win the fight. That said, he always believes that anything could happen, but says that Jorge does not have the skills to win.
“It’s not that he thinks he can’t beat me, he knows he can’t beat me,” Usman said.
“There’s just certain guys you just know, ‘I can’t beat that dude.’ He just doesn’t have the skills to beat me. Now, can a freak accident happen on any given day? Absolutely. But 10 times out of 10, I beat him badly, which is why I looked at him.
“It’s my show. I pick who I fight. At this point, I just didn’t like all the circumstances I had to deal with going into that fight, how that fight went and it left a sour taste in my mouth, and the s—t they’ve talked has left a sour taste in my mouth. I need to put him in the ground for good.”
One of Masvidal’s claims to fame, is that he is one of the best fighters to come from Miami. However Usman says that honor belongs to him, because Miami does not want to be represented by a loser.
“I run Miami. Miami is mine. He doesn’t run anything in Miami,” he said.
“You don’t run anything in Miami if you’re getting beat up like that. No city wants a loser. So, yes. He gets to leave his house and fight in my Miami.”
What do you make of these comments from Kamaru Usman?
