Kamaru Usman News

Colby Covington trashes potential Usman vs. Burns matchup
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Colby Covington has no interest in a potential welterweight title fight between champ Kamaru Usman and top contender Gilbert Burns. In fact, he feels the vast majority of fans share that disinterest. Last weekend, in the main event of UFC on ESPN 9, Burns picked up the biggest win of his career, defeating the former champion Tyron Woodley with a dominant, unanimous decision win. The win earned Burns the No. 1 spot in the UFC welterweight rankings, and very possibly the next crack at Usman.

Kamaru Usman reacts to Gilbert Burns defeating Tyron Woodley
Chris Taylor - May 30, 2020
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was clearly watching tonight’s Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns matchup with keen interest. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ had captured the promotions coveted welterweight title by defeating Woodley via unanimous decision back in March of 2019. Usman has since gone on to defend his title on one occasion, scoring a TKO victory over Colby Covington at UFC 245.

Opinion: Conor McGregor vs. Kamaru Usman or Anderson Silva would be disastrous bookings
Jordy McElroy - May 28, 2020
The UFC welterweight division has officially turned into the Wild, Wild West—a sultry, convoluted mess of a weight class with a handful of potential No. 1 contenders. Even former two-division champion Conor McGregor has somehow crept his way into the conversation of challengers to the Kamaru Usman throne. Apparently, that’s what happens when your milkshake brings all of the pay-per-view buyers to the yard.

Jorge Masvidal blames Kamaru Usman for failed negotiations: “He didn’t sign the bout agreement”
Harry Kettle - May 28, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal has claimed that Kamaru Usman didn’t sign their bout agreement for a title fight later this year. Masvidal is widely considered to be the number one contender for the UFC Welterweight Championship after an insane 3-0 run in 2019 with wins over Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz.

Dana White lists three possible opponents for Kamaru Usman
Adam Martin - May 27, 2020
UFC president Dana White listed three possible opponents for UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman’s next fight, and Conor McGregor wasn’t on the list. White was a guest on ESPN Sportscenter on Wednesday, where he answered a number of questions related to upcoming fights. One of the questions White was asked is what’s next for Usman, the UFC welterweight champion who has been connected to fights against McGregor and Jorge Masvidal as of late.

Kamaru Usman explains why he’s against rematching Colby Covington next
Harry Kettle - May 27, 2020
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has questioned why he’d entertain a rematch against Colby Covington for his next fight. Many fans and pundits believe that Usman’s war against Covington back at UFC 245 was one of the best fights of 2019, with both choosing to avoid their wrestling and focus on a stand-up battle.

Kamaru Usman says Conor McGregor deserves title shot but the Irishman's silence proves he knows he can't win
Cole Shelton - May 26, 2020
Kamaru Usman believes Conor McGregor deserves a title shot at welterweight. After Usman TKO’d Colby Covington at UFC 245, many thought his next title defense would be against Jorge Masvidal. Yet, “Gamebred” has turned his attention to the rematch with Nate Diaz while the champion is now interested in fighting McGregor.

Kamaru Usman on Conor McGregor fight: "I’d shag him in there if I wanted"
Tom Taylor - May 25, 2020
UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman is extremely confident he’d come out on top in a potential fight with Conor McGregor. There’s been plenty of buzz about a superfight between Usman and McGregor, who previously held the UFC lightweight and featherweight titles, over the last few days. The buzz reached a fever pitch when Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, suggested they would be willing to give McGregor a title shot—with some unique conditions.

Dana White says there's an “interesting” option other than Kamaru Usman for Jorge Masvidal
Cole Shelton - May 1, 2020
Jorge Masvidal may not be fighting Kamaru Usman next time out. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world, Masvidal was expected to battle Usman for the welterweight title at International Fight Week in July. Yet, nothing was ever made official and now, that may no longer be the fight.

Douglas Lima believes he could KO Kamaru Usman and "it wouldn’t take much either"
Cole Shelton - May 1, 2020
Douglas Lima hopes he and Kamaru Usman will fight each other one day. Currently, Lima is Bellator’s welterweight champion while Usman is the UFC’s 170-pound champion. Although a fight between them seems unlikely due to the lack of cross-promotional interest by Dana White, Lima hopes it can happen one day, but he isn’t holding his breath.

Colby Covington says only two fights “make sense” for UFC return
Natasha Hooper - April 30, 2020
Colby Covington only has two fights in mind for his UFC return. The former interim welterweight champion is ready to set foot back in the Octagon, but only for two opponents. On Covington’s radar is the current welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, and the former welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley.

Kamaru Usman feels Tyron Woodley is "holding himself back," offers advice to former foe
Tom Taylor - April 27, 2020
Kamaru Usman feels that Tyron Woodley is “holding himself back” by being overly choosey in terms of the opponent for his next fight. Woodley has not fought since he surrendered the UFC welterweight title to Usman early last year. He was expected to return to the cage against Leon Edwards in London on March 21, but the event ultimately fell through due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Who has the best chance to end Kamaru Usman's reign?
Cole Shelton - April 16, 2020
Kamaru Usman is a perfect 11-0 inside the Octagon and is coming off his first title defense back at UFC 245. There, “The Nigerian Nightmare” TKO’d Colby Covington in the fifth round in a very close fight. Yet, welterweight is arguably the most stacked division in the UFC so Usman has a tough road ahead of him. When the UFC returns to normalcy, Usman’s next title defense will most likely come against Jorge Masvidal. “Gamebred” had a career resurgence in 2019 with three knockout wins and claiming the BMF title. Masvidal could pose some problems for the champ if the fight remains on standing. After that, Usman’s next couple of fights could come against Covington, Leon Edwards, and Tyron Woodley. So, who has the best chance to end his reign?

Kamaru Usman ready to fight Jorge Masvidal on May 9 UFC card
Adam Martin - April 16, 2020
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says he’s ready to fight Jorge Masvidal on the May 9 UFC card if the promotion needs him to fight on it. The UFC revealed its plans this week for the new UFC 249/UFC 250 card that will take place on May 9 at a location TBD. The card already has three title fights set for it, with Tony Ferguson taking on Justin Gaethje in the main event for the UFC interim lightweight title, Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz for the UFC bantamweight title in the co-main event, and Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer for the UFC women’s featherweight title, to boot.

Al Iaquinta praises Jorge Masvidal as "One of the toughest fights I've had"
Natasha Hooper - April 13, 2020
Top-ranked lightweight contender, Al Iaquinta has praised the “BMF” winner Jorge Masvidal as “one of the toughest fights” he’s ever had. Before “Raging Al” made a name for himself against the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kevin Lee, the New York native was delivering show-stopper performances against the likes of Diego Sanchez and Jorge Masvidal.

Jorge Masvidal says there "was a deal on the table" to fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 249
Cole Shelton - April 10, 2020
Jorge Masvidal says there was a deal on the table for him to fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 249. Masvidal and Usman have been going back-and-forth at one another for months now. The two were expected to fight at International Fight Week in July but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they nearly fought at UFC 249.

Ben Askren changes Twitter name in latest jab at Kamaru Usman
Harry Kettle - April 3, 2020
Ben Askren has taken yet another shot at UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman – doing so through his Twitter account. There are very few people that seem to be capable of getting under the skin of “The Nigerian Nightmare”, but it certainly appears as if “Funky” is one of them, even months after his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Jorge Masvidal trashes Kamaru Usman with “‘multiple personalities” video
Natasha Hooper - April 3, 2020
Jorge Masvidal has slammed Kamaru Usman by claiming he has multiple personalities in a scathing video. The sport of MMA features many outspoken personalities and trash-talking. Fighters such as Henry Cejudo and Colby Covington have been criticized for intentionally playing up to the camera and changing their personality to gain notoriety. The “BMF” winner and rising welterweight star, Masvidal has been very critical of fighters’ media behavior. He previously called out Covington for putting on a performance despite being the “most sensitive guy in the UFC.” He also accused his former opponent Ben Askren of playing up to the camera. Now, “Gamebred” is calling out Kamaru Usman for the same behavior.