Former undisputed welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman has been touted as UFC CEO, Dana White’s favorite fighter according to his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who also touted the former pound-for-pound number one as the greatest welterweight fighter to ever compete.
Usman, a former undisputed welterweight champion and former pound-for-pound number one ranked fighter under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined since October of last year, suffering his third consecutive loss in a razor-thin majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The defeat came as Usman’s second consecutively of the year, having dropped a title trilogy rubber match to Leon Edwards in another majority decision loss in London back in March.
Kamaru Usman backed as Dana White’s favorite fighter
And reportedly coy on his fighting future according to his Dominance MMA manager, Abdelaziz, Usman has been labelled as the above-mentioned UFC leader, White’s favorite fighter.
“Dana White’s favorite fighter is Kamaru Usman,” Ali Abdelaziz told ESPN MMA. “100 percent. Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and Kamaru Usman. I never seen Dana give more respect to them than these guys. Because, they never choose opponents, they don’t care who they fight – and Kamaru especially.”
“And Kamaru is going to go down as the greatest welterweight of all time,” Abdelaziz explained. “He’s top-five [fighter of all-time] – one of the greatest ever, in my opinion. And his behavior: Young guys, watch Kamaru Usman’s career. Kamaru made plenty of money, not being just a great fighter, being on time when nobody [else] wanted [to fight].”
Without a victory since November 2021, Usman’s most recent win came in the form of a unanimous decision win over recent UFC 296 headliner, Colby Covington in the pair’s undisputed welterweight title fight rematch – landing his fifth and final successful defense of the crown.