A June appearance at UFC Atlanta resulted in “The Nigerian Nightmare” winning via unanimous decision over Joaquin Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) after three rounds. Since then, Kamaru Usman has been waiting, wondering when he might be able to get back in the cage.
Usman has spent time advocating for a fight later this year against current UFC welterweight champion and No. 1 pound-for-pound contender Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC). Makhachev joined the 170-lb division roster after relinquished the UFC Lightweight Championship last spring.
Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena (18-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in New York City last November. Kamaru Usman fans may have to wait a long time, if at all, if they want to see Usman and Makhachev face each other.
Kamaru Usman reveals talks with UFC about possible fight against Makhachev
Kamaru Usman, in turn, discussed the possibility of fighting Islam Makhachev Pounds 4 Pounds podcast with co-host Henry Cejudo Thursday. Usman said his next moves are still unknown, nearly nine months away from his bout in Atlanta.
“The Islamist struggle was clearly what I wanted and what I think would have been great,” Kamaru Usman began, “not just for me, not just for Islam, but it would have been great for the company, it would have been great for the world to see that.”
Usman also mentioned the fact that he is able to deliver on the promises he makes to his fans before each fight.
“If I come here and tell you I’m going to do this and that, I’m going to do it,” he continued. “I’m not like some of these guys who say, ‘Yeah, I’m going to kill this guy. He can’t last one round,’ and the fight goes on for three boring rounds, or ‘This guy, I’m going to finish him.’ [in the] second round’ and the fight is a boring three rounds. I am honest about that, so when I say that I can still do this at that high level, I mean it.”
Hunter Campbell pumps the brakes on Kamaru Usman vs. Islam Makhachev
During Usman’s remarks, he said there was one obstacle standing in the way of his fight against Islam Makhachev at a later date. It’s the biggest obstacle of all.
“For some reason we’ve had conversations, but Hunter Campbell thinks differently and Hunter Campbell says ‘Maybe not,’” Usman said. “He wants to take a different path. We don’t know that yet. They haven’t come out yet and said, ‘Islam is going to get this guy’ or ‘Islam is going to get that guy’ or ‘Islam is going with me,’ but it’s been a tumultuous back and forth to get that done.”
Final Thoughts: Hunter Campbell may be making the right call for Kamaru Usman
At the time of writing, Usman is the No. 7 contender at welterweight. Although Kamaru Usman has won the UFC welterweight championship in the past, it might be a bit of a stretch to have him fight a man eight spots above him.
Numerically speaking, he has gone 2-3 in his last five fights and stopped the skid late last spring in Atlanta. While a fight between Usman and Makhachev could be appealing, the match loses some of its luster as Usman isn’t on a sustained winning streak like Makhachev.
If Usman gets a few more wins, this will be a main event with bulletin board material that practically writes itself.
#Kamaru #Usman #UFC #crossroads #exciting #tilt