Kamaru Usman explains why he won’t call himself the GOAT

You won’t catch UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman calling himself the Greatest of All Time. That’s because he doesn’t think anyone should bestow themselves with such a weighty title.

Usman explained his objection to fighters proclaiming themselves the GOAT during a recent interview with MMA Fighting.

“Honestly, I don’t look at that. I don’t think about that,” Usman said. “I don’t think about stuff like that. I remember when Tyron Woodley was saying those things, he’s the greatest welterweight of all time and this and that. Of course he’s in that conversation but that’s not something you bestow upon yourself. That’s not something I want to think about and say I’m this, I’m that.

“No, I go out there and I do my job,” Usman added. “I take it one fight at a time and then when I am done over time people look at your body of work and say ‘wow, look what he did, look who he got through, he fought everyone and he made them look like this and he fought them and did them this way.’ I’m not the one who’s going to go out there and put that label on myself but if you actually look at my resume and when I’m said and done and you’re like ‘he 50-43’d this guy, 50-44’d this guy, he did this to that guy, man, that’s the greatest of all time.’”

Kamaru Usman captured the UFC welterweight title in early 2019, when he picked up a unanimous decision win over the long-time champion, Woodley. He has since defended the title with a fifth-round TKO victory over Colby Covington, and a unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal.

He’s now slated to defend his title opposite streaking contender Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC 258 later this month. While he won’t be proclaiming himself the GOAT, he’s already considered one of the best welterweights in MMA history by many, and a win over Burns will only cement that reputation.