Kamaru Usman is of the opinion that Conor McGregor is no longer an elite level MMA fighter.
The UFC welterweight champion told ESPN that McGregor is more known for talking than fighting in 2021.
‘Notorious’ has often talked about his desire to compete for UFC gold at 170lbs.
“He does more talking now than he does fighting. If he wants to fight me he knows where to find me, we can make that fight happen,” Usman said.
“Right now, he’s more of a loudmouth. He is a guy that can compete but he is not the champion, Conor McGregor, he’s not the double champion. He is not that guy anymore.”
“He is just a guy that is in the UFC… if he wasn’t Conor and hasn’t done the things that he has done he would be just a regular fighter,” Usman added.
“He is just a regular fighter with a lot of money, a lot of hype and a lot of recognition.”
“The old Conor, the hungry Conor, that was the fighter that fighters respected. Now, not that we don’t respect him at all – he is a UFC fighter – but he is just a regular fighter.” (Transcribed by TalkSPORT)
McGregor is coming off a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, a man he easily beat in 2014. On July 10, the pair will settle the score when they fight for a third and presumably final time at UFC 264.
Usman is currently looking for a worthy challenger after almost cleaning out the UFC’s welterweight division. In his last fight, he knocked out Jorge Masvidal in spectacular fashion at UFC 261. Prior to that, Usman stopped his former teammate and friend Gilbert Burns inside three rounds. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ also holds big wins over the likes of Colby Covington, Leon Edwards, Tyron Woodley, and Demian Maia.
Do you agree with Kamaru Usman? Is Conor McGregor no longer a elite level UFC fighter?