Kamaru Usman is still contemplating his next move.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion hasn’t won a fight since his Colby Covington rematch in November 2021. Usman scored the unanimous decision victory against his rival and has lost three in a row for the first and only time in his 24-fight career (20-4).
Two of Usman’s three latest losses came against the current Welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards, leaving him in limbo within the 170-pound title picture. Therefore, it led the “Nigerian Nightmare” to Middleweight for a short-notice tilt opposite Khamzat Chimaev in October 2023, Despite his best efforts, Usman suffered a majority decision defeat in the three-round affair. Now, Usman has thought of a new possible match up after witnessing Dustin Poirier fall into a similar realm at UFC 302 this past weekend (June 1, 2024).
“He’s got fights. The [Alexander] Volkanovski fight could — that’s a fun fight,” Usman said on Pound 4 Pound. “I’m not in any way throwing my hat in, but [if] he wants to go up, hey, that’s a fun fight. I’m not saying I’m welcoming the fight, don’t do it. I’m not saying that, but I always put my mind there. If I was to ever compete against a guy like Dustin Poirier, that would be a fantastic one because it’s a guy that I could really respect through and through the process.
“It’s like you and your main training partner and you’re just like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to beat each other up. We’re going to push each other to the brink.’ That would be a fun fight, but I’m not throwing [my name in the] hat,” he concluded.
Poirier’s recent fifth round d’arce choke submission loss (watch highlights) to Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, came in his third-career attempt at becoming an undisputed UFC champion. At 35, Poirier is considering retirement as he ponders why he’d keep fighting.