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Kamaru Usman Discusses Fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov On Short Notice At UFC 310: ‘The UFC Knows Who To Call’

Kamaru Usman seems ready to step up on short notice to face Shavkat Rakhmonov and keep the UFC 310 main event intact. The headliner for the final UFC pay-per-view event between reigning welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and Rakhmonov was called off last month after “Remember the Name” disclosed he had to pull out due to […]

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Kamaru Usman seems ready to step up on short notice to face Shavkat Rakhmonov and keep the UFC 310 main event intact.

The headliner for the final UFC pay-per-view event between reigning welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and Rakhmonov was called off last month after “Remember the Name” disclosed he had to pull out due to a bone infection in his foot.

Since then, “Nomad” has voiced his desire to remain on the card, even campaigning for an interim title showdown, ideally against former longtime champion Usman. Rakhmonov’s manager, Sayat Abdrakhmanov, confirmed that the UFC is currently in talks and has proposed “The Nigerian Nightmare” as a possible opponent for the matchup.

During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman discussed the possibility of stepping in on just a month’s notice to face Rakhmonov at UFC 310. He stated that the UFC would reach out to a fighter primed to challenge the undefeated Kazakhstani, and should the promotion come calling, he would unquestionably accept.

“I’m still in that gym, you know,” Usman said. “If the UFC is going to call who they think is going to be legit tough enough and man enough to step in there on this crazy enough to step in there on short notice and go out there and possibly shock the world, definitely the UFC knows who to call when that situation happens. And if they do give me a call, I’m going to answer the call. We get a couple of things straight, and if we have to do it, I don’t shy away from any of that.”

“The Nigerian Nightmare” is no stranger to stepping in on short notice to face undefeated fighters. Usman took on the challenge of fighting Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October 2023 with less than two weeks’ notice, ultimately suffering a majority decision loss.

Usman is currently enduring the most challenging phase of his career, having lost his 170-pound title to Leon Edwards at UFC 278 in August 2022. Since then, he has gone 0-2 in his last two Octagon appearances.

Read More: UFC Vet Pushes Back On Shavkat Rakhmonov’s Interim Talk: ‘Belal Has The F*cking Title’

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UFC 310: Former Champion Kamaru Usman looks to take on Shavkat Rakhmonov with obscure call out

UFC 310: Former Champion Kamaru Usman looks to take on Shavkat Rakhmonov with obscure call out Is Kamaru Usman’s cryptic post on social media signaling his long-awaited return to the Octagon? It’s been over a…

Is Kamaru Usman’s cryptic post on social media signaling his long-awaited return to the Octagon?

It’s been over a year since we saw ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ suffer a third straight loss against unbeaten Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. Since then, fans have been eagerly awaiting news of his next fight. While we haven’t quite gotten that just yet, Usman shared a rather curious post on X that could signify a return to action at UFC 310 on December 7.

Earlier this week, it was announced that welterweight champion Belal Muhammad would no longer defend his bantamweight championship at the final pay-per-view of the year after suffering a gnarly bone infection in his foot.

Once the news became official, fighters started coming out of the woodwork looking to step in and square off with Muhammad’s previously scheduled opponent, Shavkat Rakhmonov, in what could end up being an interim title opportunity.

Caught a bone infection in my foot .. had to put a picc line in my arm for iv antibiotics the next 6 weeks with no physical activity … Allahs plan is the best plan I’m sorry to everyone that were coming to see me Ill be back soon inshAllah pic.twitter.com/xbXj2B8Szy

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) October 31, 2024

Kamaru Usman likely to get the nod over other fighters vying for an interim title shot

Top 10 ranked contenders Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley both threw their hats into the ring, hoping they’d be able to capitalize on Muhammad’s bad luck and parlay their active win streaks into a shot at UFC gold.

Unfortunately for both of them, Kamaru Usman is also interested in that spot, and given his status as a former champion and the division’s No. 2 ranked contender, it’s far more likely we’ll see the Nigerian get the nod over a couple of still-rising stars.

Before his recent string of losses, Kamaru Usman had won 21 straight fights dating back to 2013. Along the way, he captured the 170-pound title and successfully defended it five times against Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, and Gilbert Burns.

Kamaru Usman Dismisses BMF Title as ‘Hypothetical,’ Claims It Originated Due to Him

Kamaru Usman credits himself for the creation of the BMF title. First introduced in 2019, the BMF title was…

Kamaru Usman credits himself for the creation of the BMF title.

First introduced in 2019, the BMF title was a makeshift bragging rights belt developed to determine who the “baddest motherf*cker” truly was between Octagon fan favorites Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz during their UFC 244 headliner in Madison Square Garden.

Since then, the BMF title has taken on a life of its own and has seen multiple holders, including Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway, but according to former welterweight world champion Kamaru Usman, he’s the one responsible for the creation of the fictitious title.

”Why are we talking about this like this is a real title? It’s not,” Usman said on the Pound-4-Pound podcast. “This was a hypothetical that was made up because of me. Let’s not forget that myself and Covington were supposed to fight in MSG in New York. The fight didn’t happen… They needed a fight to headline that card. They needed something with some steam. It’s MSG. You can’t just put any fight card at MSG.

“So, at that point, what’s the hottest ticket out there? Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal… Of course, you have Nate Diaz… Dana jumps on, ‘How do we promote this fight? Let’s create this, alright, it’s called the baddest motherf’er belt…’ Come on. Are you serious? That’s why it started” (h/t Sportskeeda).

No BMF Titleholder has ever won a fight inside the Octagon

After claiming the BMF belt against Diaz, ‘Gamebred’ never once defended the crown, nor did he win a single fight. Masvidal ultimately walked away from the UFC in 2023 amid a four-fight losing skid, vacating the BMF title in the process.

The title was reintroduced at UFC 291 when Justin Gaethje rematched Dustin Poirier in one of the most anticipated fights of the summer. ‘The Highlight’ ended up making a highlight out of Poirier, scoring a brutal second-round head-kick KO to take home the belt.

In April 2024, Gaethje became the first fighter to defend the title when he met former featherweight king Max Holloway at UFC 300. ‘Blessed’ landed a buzzer-beating KO to win the bout and the belt.

Holloway has not yet defended the BMF title, but he recently suffered his first career loss by knockout against reigning 145-pound champion Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

Interestingly, BMF titleholders are 0-6 inside the Octagon after winning the belt. Perhaps becoming the UFC’s designated “baddest motherf*cker” isn’t such a good thing after all.

Respect and Rivalry: Khamzat Chimaev’s Admiration for Usman as He Gears Up for Whittaker Showdown

Khamzat Chimaev has nothing but respect for Kamaru Usman. On Saturday, ‘Borz’ will return to the Octagon for the…

Khamzat Chimaev has nothing but respect for Kamaru Usman.

On Saturday, ‘Borz’ will return to the Octagon for the first time in a year when he meets Robert Whittaker in a potential middleweight title eliminator at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

The fight will come almost exactly one year to the day that Chimaev last fought. That came at UFC 294 when he went toe-to-toe with former welterweight world champion Kamaru Usman. Borz’ came out on top via a majority decision, moving to 13-0 in his mixed martial arts career while handing ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ his third-straight loss inside the Octagon.

Ahead of this weekend’s high-stakes scrap with ‘The Reaper’ at Etihad Arena, Chimaev offered his honest thoughts on Usman, calling him one of the best fighters he’s ever had the privilege of competing against.

“A lot of different things, makes a different mindset and a lot of good things,” Chimaev told Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports. “Kamaru is one of the best guys who I’ve faced. He’s been No.1 pound-for-pound. Robert [Whittaker] hasn’t been there yet. Me too.

“People forget who was Kamaru Usman. When I beat him, everyone was talking about he’s not that good and this that, but that guy is crazy good, man. If I take somebody’s back like I took his — he has a champion’s mindset. He didn’t give [up]. He had five minutes where he defended his neck, but this is not that easy.”

Usman backs khamzat chimaev to come out on top against Robert Whittaker

Having gone three hard-fought rounds with the undefeated Chechen monster, it should come as no surprise that Usman is backing Chimaev to come out on top against Whittaker in the UFC 308 co-main event.

“I don’t think you’re too harsh. I think a lot of casual fans feel the same way that you feel,” Usman said on his Pound-4-Pound podcast. “And Robert Whittaker is a guy that can grapple, or stop you from grappling, a guy that can put together the combinations that potentially get you out of there. I think Khamzat Chimaev is just special. If he is able to get his hands on you and drag you down to the ground, I think he is able to impose his will down there and potentially get that finish…

“Let me just keep it short… I love Robert Whittaker. I think Robert Whittaker is super talented, especially what he just went out there and did in disposing of Ikram. But if I had to choose, I’m gonna go with Khamzat Chimaev.”

Ian Garry Fires Shots at Kamaru Usman After Alleged Fight Turn-Down: ‘You’re More Like Colby Than I Thought’

Ian Garry can’t seem to get a fight. After earning his eighth-straight win inside the Octagon against Michael ‘Venom’…

Ian Garry can’t seem to get a fight.

After earning his eighth-straight win inside the Octagon against Michael ‘Venom’ Page at UFC 303, ‘The Future’ lobbied hard for a fight with three-time welterweight title challenger Colby Covington. When ‘Chaos’ declined to sign on the dotted line, Garry turned his attention toward the man who beat Covington in two of those title fights, Kamaru Usman.

Unfortunately, it sounds like ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ isn’t interested in going toe-to-toe with Conor McGregor 2.0.

After Usman made a post on social media saying he was “ready to slide,” Garry snapped back and accused him of ducking a potential scrap between the two at UFC Tampa later this year.

“Ready? Really? I thought you were built different, but turns out you and Colby are more similar than I thought,” Garry wrote in response to Usman. “Say YES see you December 14th!”

Kamaru Usman has lost three straight while Ian Garry is sitting on an eight-fight win streak

Usman is currently sitting on a three-fight losing skid that includes back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards and a majority decision defeat against Khamzat Chimaev a little more than a year ago.

Meanwhile, Garry has worked his way up to the No. 7 spot in the welterweight division and is hoping to score a fight with someone above him in the rankings, though that’s proving to be more challenging than expected.

Perhaps a title eliminator with Sean Brady or Jack Della Maddalena could be in his future while all the former titleholders continue to sit around waiting for another championship opportunity to be handed to them.

Ian Garry Claims Usman Turned Down UFC Tampa Fight: ‘You & Colby Are More Similar Than I Thought…’

Undefeated welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry has spent a lot of this year campaigning for a fight with former interim champion Colby Covington. Given the build up alone, the fight would be huge but it seems unlikely that we will see it happen. The Irishman wanted the match-up at UFC 303 in June but ended […]

Continue Reading Ian Garry Claims Usman Turned Down UFC Tampa Fight: ‘You & Colby Are More Similar Than I Thought…’ at MMA News.

The Irishman wanted the match-up at UFC 303 in June but ended up facing and beating Michael “Venom” Page instead. Now occupying the #7-spot in the rankings, Garry is looking for a main event slot in order to get him closer to a title shot.

There aren’t too many opponents ahead of Garry that make sense for him right now. The likes of Sean Brady and Jack Della Maddalena would be great fights but of course, defeating a former champion would be a great scalp to have on his record.

According to a recent social media post, it looks like he may have been offered a former rival of Covington’s who has been out for a over a year at this point in time.

Kamaru Usman posted a short message on social media to suggest that is ready to return to action in the near future to snap his current losing streak. It didn’t take long before Garry responded, claiming that Usman turned a fight with him down for December 14 which is set to take place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.

With Belal Muhammad set to make the first defense of his title against Shavkat Rakhmonov the week before at UFC 310, a potential title eliminator taking place seven days later would make a lot of sense.

“Ready? Really? I thought you were built different, but turns out you and Colby are more similar than I thought. Say YES see you December 14th!”

Continue Reading Ian Garry Claims Usman Turned Down UFC Tampa Fight: ‘You & Colby Are More Similar Than I Thought…’ at MMA News.