Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is starting to soften his stance on a potential rematch against longtime rival Jorge Masvidal, probably because “The Nigerian Nightmare” already captured a unanimous decision victory over “Gamebred” at UFC 251 last July.
“Fuck it, I’m not feeling generous anymore,” Usman said about his next opponent. “Anyone can get it.”
That caught the attention of former kickboxing champion Stephen Thompson, who also holds a victory over Masvidal. “Wonderboy” — fresh off last December’s unanimous decision victory over Geoff Neal — is currently ranked No. 5 at 170 pounds and made his case to MMA Fighting about securing the next title shot.
“It just doesn’t make sense to fight [Masvidal] again,” Thompson said. “He clearly lost. I know it was short notice, but I just think that Kamaru Usman knows. It’s smart for him, he knows he can beat him for a high pay, it’s a big name, there is beef there so it makes sense on his part. As a fan and as a fighter, and as someone who has been at the top of the game and trying to get title fights, it doesn’t make sense for that to happen. Fight somebody you haven’t fought yet. You beat pretty much everybody except me in the top five. That’s it.”
Usman scored a third round technical knockout victory over top contender Gilbert Burns at the UFC 258 pay-per-view (PPV) event earlier this month in Las Vegas, improving to 17-1 and breaking Georges St-Pierre’s welterweight win record along the way.
At this point, “The Nigerian Nightmare” has earned the right to call his own shots.