Don’t expect UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman 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 Khabib Nurmagomedov, and an even bigger one with middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.
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.”
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.”
