SUMMARY
- Kamaru Usman will be returning to fight at welterweight as it's where he's most comfortable.
- The Nigerian Nightmare wants to fight other ranked opponents instead of former foes.
Kamaru Usman shook up the entire welterweight division after winning his first title fight to become the undisputed UFC champion in 2019. Usman became the first ever African (not African-Amercian) fighter to win a UFC title as well. Since then, he dominated the division until the rise of Leon Edwards.
Eventually, the Nigerian superstar had to face Edwards and it all went down during UFC 278 on August 21, 2022. Time flies doesn’t it? Since then, Usman faced Edwards in a rematch at UFC 286 where he lost by decision. After that, he accepted a short-notice fight against Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight. The Chechen won after three rounds. So, what’s next for the former champion?
Kamaru Usman finds welterweight to be the most comfortable division to fight in
During a recent interview with DraftKings featuring Jon Anik and former UFC fighter Kenny Florian, Kamaru Usman revealed what he plans on doing next. The welterweight legend said, “For me, I made my career at being a welterweight. And I never thought I would [fight] at middleweight. Obviously, when that possibility of potentially getting the second belt, yeah I’ve thought about it but besides that, welterweight just seems to be the way that where I have been, where I’m comfortable.”
Usman further added, “But right now… my biggest thing is just getting healthy. I fought so long being unhealthy and just jumping in there because I wanted to fight… Now, I’m just in the position to where it’s like let’s get all these done… I know I’m at the tail end, let me finish the career the right way.” Usman has dealt with a few injuries during the course of his career. His knees have been his weakest link which he has constantly been working on during his time off.
The Nigerian Nightmare seeks to fight against newer talent
Based on what he said, it seems like Kamaru Usman is ready to make a return to the UFC and dominate. While fighting at welterweight may not make too much sense, he still has a few fighters that he could compete against. Usman revealed that he wants to fight emerging stars in Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry, Belal Muhammad, or Jack Della Maddalena.
Kamaru Usman says his next fight will be against one of these listed fighters 👀:
– Shavkat Rakhmonov
– Ian Garry
– Jack Della Maddalena
– Belal MuhammadWhich should he fight next?🤔
🎥YT/@AnikFlorianPod #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/SIOZzWDP6d
— FightCrack (@FightCrack) July 16, 2024
Belal is currently scheduled to fight Edwards at UFC 304 which will take place in England on July 27. Shavkat would make an interesting fight as he’s ranked second to the No.2 ranked Belal Muhammad. Garry and Maddelena could possibly face off against each other or take on the former gatekeeper in Colby Covington before fighting a former champion in Usman.