UFC president Dana White believes Kamaru Usman is the greatest welterweight of all time.
UFC president Dana White just hailed Kamaru Usman as the greatest welterweight ever.
G.O.A.T. status previously belonged to UFC legend Georges St-Pierre who ruled the welterweight throne for five years and defended his title nine times.
Although Usman has quite a way to go before he surpasses St-Pierre in title defenses (“The Nigerian Nightmare” has defended his belt five times), White believes the former has faced the tougher competition. He’s also virtually cleared out the division.
“Leon Edwards is the number one guy in the world to take on Usman. He’s a super talented guy, that whole division is stacked with incredible talent. That’s why it’s undeniable that Usman is the greatest welterweight ever,” White told TheMacLife in a recent interview (h/t BJPenn.com). “He’s lapping guys that are incredible fighters, this isn’t some lackluster division where you have Usman and everybody else, there are straight killers in this division. We’ll find out that night what Edwards brings in there.”
It’s understandable why White is ready to declare Usman the welterweight G.O.A.T. while at the same time taking nothing away from St-Pierre’s accomplishments. Usman has defended his title against Colby Covington (2x), Jorge Masvidal (2x), and Gilbert Burns. He also holds standout victories over Leon Edwards, Rafael dos Anjos, and Demian Maia.
Usman will return to the Octagon at UFC 278 on Aug. 20 to defend his welterweight title against Edwards at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.