Don’t expect UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] to participate in a superfight against another current titleholder unless a belt changes hands.
In a time where being a dual-champion is all the rage, Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) is ruling it out as something of interest for the time being. He has a major conflict with the idea of competing against lightweight king [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], and an even bigger one with middleweight champ [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag].
Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and Usman share a management team at Dominance MMA, and under that umbrella they’ve created a bond. It runs even deeper with Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who, along with Usman, is part of the pair of the only African-born champions in UFC history.
Neither of those relationships are worth tainting with a fight, even with the history at stake, Usman said.
“I would never fight Khabib – that’s my brother,” Usman said on the “JRE MMA Show” podcast with UFC commentator Joe Rogan. “It’s just a mutual respect. I don’t see myself ever fighting Khabib. I don’t see myself ever fighting Israel, even though a lot of people have hinted toward it. I don’t see myself fighting him. Having two belts in Nigeria is better than just having one guy hold two belts. There’s no desire there. That’s my guy. He’s special.”
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Should the 185- or 155-pound belts change hands in the future, Usman’s stance might change. For now, though, he said he is focused on the 170-pound class, which is ripe with potential contenders.
The frontrunner to challenge Usman next is Jorge Masvidal, but Conor McGregor and Georges St-Pierre are also names who have been mentioned by the champion. Usman said he’s ultimately leaving it up to the UFC, though, and so long as a proper deal is in place, he will fight anyone.
Usman said he has a few more weeks of recovery for a ligament strain on his wrist, at which point he’ll be prepared to put pen to paper.
“We’ve talked,” Usman said. “I’ll be ready. Give me a month and let this thing heal up. I can make a fist now. I’m cracking. They put out the guys, and let’s be honest, if you look at the division, I’ve beaten almost everybody there in the top 10. It’s a matter of who they really want, what’s next. Dana (White) said they really want Jorge. Jorge is the next guy.”
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