With a knockout against Colby Covington, a one-sided decision over Jorge Masvidal and a past win in a fight against Leon Edwards, Usman quietly has dispatched the majority of the fighters with the best case to compete for UFC gold.
A broader look at the rankings shows Usman has vanquished five out of the top 10 fighters in the world at welterweight, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily only looking for new challengers.
While fighters like Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Michael Chiesa are coming off relevant wins in the division, Usman doesn’t have a problem revisiting past fights if that’s what the UFC has in store for him.
“It doesn’t matter for me,” Usman said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “I train, I prepare the same way. I ruin my body in order to make sure nobody can do that to me. I prepare that way for every one of those fights, and it shows in every one of my fights. It doesn’t really matter.
“Of course, the money’s a bonus. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do it for the money now. Of course, I want to make sure I get out what I put into the sport. I would take it. I don’t mind it. Whether it’s a rematch with Covington, or Masvidal, or Edwards, or Burns, it doesn’t matter.”
It’s possible that the next No. 1 contender at welterweight will be determined over the next few months with Edwards preparing for a showdown against highly touted prospect Khamzat Chimaev and former teammates Covington and Masvidal heading for a collision later this year.
While Edwards vs. Chimaev has already been booked for March, there’s still no word when exactly Covington might face Masvidal and that doesn’t necessarily surprise Usman.
“I don’t know if it’s really going to happen because I think both guys, I know in my experience trying to get a fight with those guys always wasn’t the easiest,” Usman explained. “That’s both of them. I can imagine how hard it’s going to be to get both of them to fight each other.”
That said, if the UFC is able to sign Covington vs. Masvidal for a fight, Usman is definitely interested in seeing how that particular matchup plays out regardless of the impact for the division.
“I think that’s a fantastic matchup,” Usman said. “I would watch that for sure. Yeah, I disposed of both guys, but I would still like to see what happens. These guys trained together for years. These guys lived on each other’s couches.
“These guys shared everything. They shared food. They shared burgers. They shared women. Shared beds. It will be interesting to see who was the leader of all that back when they shared those moments together. I mean I think it’s obviously an intriguing fight.”
As far as the Edwards vs. Chimaev fight, Usman will definitely watch that one, not only to scout potential opponents but because he’s just as curious as the rest of the world to see if the undefeated Chechen fighter is ready for a massive step up in competition.
Despite only three wins in the UFC and a single fight at welterweight, Usman has been impressed by what he’s seen out of Chimaev so far. But he knows Edwards is going to be an incredible tough test no matter whom he’s going up against.
“Whoever they give him at the end of the day, a fight is a fight,” Usman said of Chimaev. “There’s no such thing as an easy fight. Obviously guys can be mismatched and guys can be levels above other guys, but there’s no such thing as easy fight. He’s gone out there and disposed of everyone they’ve put in front of him. Yes, granted none of those guys were in the top-10, top-15 or top-20, but at the end of the day, he still went out there and did his job when it was time for him to do his job. So I recognize that and I take nothing away from that. That’s just not who I am.
“Leon Edwards, I think is a guy, I give credit where credit is due, he’s been deserving of it. Because ever since the loss with me, he hasn’t tasted defeat since. He’s worked and he’s been fighting guys. He’s fought a few guys in that top-10, top-15 position. I think rightfully so he’s a little more deserving, but Khamzat is no slouch. He’s not somebody to sleep on and he’s definitely not somebody to overlook. He’s coming and he’s been making a lot of noise so far, and you need to pay attention to that noise.”
At the end of the day, Usman isn’t hand picking his opposition, especially now that he’s champion. He’ll leave that job up to the matchmakers and get ready for whomever happens to be on the other end of the bout agreement.
“Whoever is next who has presented themselves as the next biggest, baddest guy to challenge the throne,” he said. “I have to go out there and do what I do best and walk away with that cash.”
{feed:enclosure_href }
More...
