Tag: Kamaru Usman

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

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 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’ 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.

gettyimages 1748844277 612x612 2

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!”

image 31
Ian Machado Garry

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.

gettyimages 1748842116 612x612 1

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 Machado Garry

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

Joaquin Buckley Down for a Clash with ‘Chaos’ If Usman Isn’t Interested: ‘I’d Definitely Take That Fight’

Joaquin Buckley Down for a Clash with 'Chaos' If Usman Isn't Interested: 'I'd Definitely Take That Fight'If Joaquin Buckley can’t finagle a fight with Kamaru Usman, he’s willing to settle for Colby Covington. ‘New Mansa’…

Joaquin Buckley Down for a Clash with 'Chaos' If Usman Isn't Interested: 'I'd Definitely Take That Fight'

If Joaquin Buckley can’t finagle a fight with Kamaru Usman, he’s willing to settle for Colby Covington.

‘New Mansa’ extended his unbeaten streak to five at UFC 307, securing a third-round knockout against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and launching himself into the welterweight division’s top 10. Immediately following the win, Buckley called for a clash with former titleholder Kamaru Usman, a statement he echoed during a recent interview with Luke Thomas.

Joaquin Buckley

“I really don’t expect him to push for that fight just because of how difficult the fight might be for him,” Buckley said. “I’m still working on things, but I really feel like when it comes to the standup, I don’t think Usman really has anything for me.

“I think my cardio and pace is definitely gonna challenge him and usually he’s the one that’s pushing that narrative on his conditioning, but I think that I can push my conditioning past Usman at this point in my career.”

gettyimages 1748805134 612x612 1

If Usman isn’t interested, Joaquin Buckley would welcome a fight with ‘Chaos’

Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Usman is much too interested in a fight with Buckley. Of course, ‘New Mansa’ already has another name in mind that could help him break into the division’s top five. That being three-time welterweight title challenger Colby Covington.

“The last fight that he had was against Leon [Edwards] and that was about a year ago,” Buckley said of Covington. “Time ain’t on nobody’s side so if you really want to show the world what you’ve been up to and how you’ve been working, you got to fight. You know that I’m happy to go and find out myself too with Colby Covington if he’s not got a fight lined up.

“I’d definitely be willing to take that fight. That’s somebody that has fought for the belt, has proven himself, highly ranked in the division for 170, so why not?”

gettyimages 1861426045 612x612 1

2019 was the last time Covington has fought twice in a single year. Since then, he’s barely averaged one fight per year, going 2-2 in the process. But despite the bouts of inactivity and the lack of notable wins, ‘Chaos’ is still holding strong as the sixth-ranked contender in the division making him a prime target for outliers looking to fight there way towards a shot at gold.

Joaquin Buckley Fires Back At Usman’s ‘Get In Line’ Advice

Joaquin Buckley recently retaliated against Kamaru Usman’s dismissive reaction to his callout for a potential matchup. Buckley secured the most significant victory of his career thus far with a stunning third-round knockout of former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 last weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah. With this victory, “New Mansa” extended […]

Continue Reading Joaquin Buckley Fires Back At Usman’s ‘Get In Line’ Advice at MMA News.

Joaquin Buckley recently retaliated against Kamaru Usman’s dismissive reaction to his callout for a potential matchup.

Buckley secured the most significant victory of his career thus far with a stunning third-round knockout of former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 last weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.

With this victory, “New Mansa” extended his winning streak to five fights and wasted no time calling out Usman during his post-fight interview, making it clear that he’s ready to enter the mix for title contention.

However, earlier this week, in an episode of the Pound4Pound podcast, “The Nigerian Nightmare” brushed aside Buckley’s callout but left the door open for a potential fight down the line, stating, “Take a number and get in line.”

Buckley Seeks Title Eliminator Match With Usman

During a recent interview with Parry Punch, Buckley addressed Usman’s dismissal of his callout. “New Mansa” pointed out that, aside from the reigning UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, no one else has stepped up to challenge Usman. However, even Muhammad has shifted his attention to his first title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov.

“That’s the funny thing; who’s in line?” Buckley said. “The crazy part about Belal was, like, Usman doesn’t even deserve a title shot. Plus, he said Shavkat is an easier fight than Usman, and that’s what I believe the UFC is going to make: the Shavkat vs. Belal fight. The thing with Usman is nobody calls him out, and he’s still a great name. The last fight he had was with Khamzat [Chimaev], so it’s been a whole year. Come and get this word; come and get paid at least.”

Buckley further emphasized that being a former champion doesn’t guarantee Usman an immediate title shot, especially after experiencing a string of losses. The 30-year-old Missouri native proposed that “The Nigerian Nightmare” should instead face him in a #1 contender’s bout.

“Just because you’ve been a former champion and held the belt for a significant amount of time doesn’t give you the right to come back and say, ‘All right, I get to fight for the belt again.’ You’re still not accounting for those three losses you’ve had. So prove to the world that you still have the ability to fight for a belt. With me having five wins and three finishes right now in the goddamn welterweight division, I feel like you can sell that idea. If Kamaru Usman beats me, boom, he can fight for the title.”

Usman is currently navigating the most challenging phase of his career, enduring a three-fight losing streak. The former UFC welterweight champion’s last appearance in the Octagon was at UFC 284 in October 2023, where he suffered a narrow majority decision defeat to Khamzat Chimaev in a welterweight matchup on short notice.

Continue Reading Joaquin Buckley Fires Back At Usman’s ‘Get In Line’ Advice at MMA News.

‘Get In Line’ – Kamaru Usman Laughs Off Joaquin Buckley’s UFC 307 Callout

Joaquin Buckley did the unthinkable at UFC 307 by becoming only the second fighter ever to knock out Stephen Thompson. He tried to grapple the veteran striker from the get-go. but “Wonderboy” could get back to his feet quickly every time. Based on the official scorecards, the third round would’ve decided the winner of the […]

Continue Reading ‘Get In Line’ – Kamaru Usman Laughs Off Joaquin Buckley’s UFC 307 Callout at MMA News.

Joaquin Buckley did the unthinkable at UFC 307 by becoming only the second fighter ever to knock out Stephen Thompson. He tried to grapple the veteran striker from the get-go. but “Wonderboy” could get back to his feet quickly every time.

Based on the official scorecards, the third round would’ve decided the winner of the fight but Buckley sealed the deal with an overhand right. Interestingly, it was similar to the overhand superman punch Anthony Pettis landed to knock out Thompson five years ago.

“New Mansa” called out Kamaru Usman after the victory but it seems like the former champ has no intentions of entertaining that fight…

Kamaru Usman Admits Joaquin Buckley’s Calling Him Out At UFC 307 Was Better Than The Conor McGregor Callout

In the latest Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry podcast, Henry Cejudo asked Usman about Buckley calling him out after the impressive KO win at UFC 307. The American fighter is now 5-0 at welterweight and is clearly riding an impressive win streak.

However, “The Nigerian Nightmare” outright laughed at the callout and asked Buckley to get in line since the latter’s not the only welterweight to call out the former kingpin recently.

“Take a number and get in line! I believe he’s probably, what, the 10th, 11th guy? I don’t know how many guys have called me out. It is what it is. It’s obviously, like DC said, it’s a more reasonable callout for him because he is on the streak. He’s been doing good work inside there. I believe he was losing that fight and it was just a way to be relentless and find the shot, eventually, to get that finish. So, you know, hats off to him.”

However, Usman gave Buckley his props for winning against “Wonderboy” in the best way possible. He also agreed with Daniel Cormier that this was a much more sensible callout than his last fight.

From the looks of it, Buckley will have to yet again wait for his dream opponent. A couple more memorable wins would make him an undeniable title challenger, though.

Continue Reading ‘Get In Line’ – Kamaru Usman Laughs Off Joaquin Buckley’s UFC 307 Callout at MMA News.