Tag: Kamaru Usman

Jorge Masvidal Believes Khazmat Chimaev is in for a rude awakening at middleweight: ‘They’ll hurt him’

Khamzat ChimaevJorge Masvidal believes Khamzat Chimaev is playing with fire in the middleweight division. ‘Borz’ stormed into the UFC in…

Khamzat Chimaev

Jorge Masvidal believes Khamzat Chimaev is playing with fire in the middleweight division.

‘Borz’ stormed into the UFC in 2020 and rattled off three-straight victories in the span of eight weeks. Largely competing in the welterweight division, Chimaev has repeatedly ragdolled opponents with Gilbert Burns being the one glaring exception. Even then, ‘Borz’ came out on top via unanimous decision, keeping his undefeated record intact and establishing himself as a legit title contender inside the Octagon.

However, things went way off course ahead of his previously scheduled main event matchup with veteran fan favorite Nate Diaz when Chimaev stepped on the scale eight-pounds over the limit for their welterweight scrap. The blunder ultimately led to the UFC forcing Chimaev to make the move to middleweight.

Thus far, Chimaev has maintained his status as a legitimate title contender after securing a decision victory over former welterweight world champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294, though the bout did come with a bit of adversity and a pinch of controversy. Not to mention the fact that the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ stepped into the bout on less than two weeks’ notice.

Sharing his take on Khazmat Chimaev’s move to middleweight, former welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal suggested that the Chechen will find a lot more dangerous men to contend with than he would at welterweight.

“You put him in there with a lot of these [middleweights] I think they’ll f*cking hurt him,” Masvidal said in an interview with MMA Mania.

‘Gamebred’ bumped into Kamaru Usman at a nightclub hours before he stepped up to fight khamzat chimaev

Despite moving up a weight class on short notice, Kamaru Usman looked undeniably impressive in his showing against Khamzat Chimaev, even winning the bout in the eyes of many.

As it turns out, Usman was out clubbing mere hours before the announcement was made that he would be stepping into the UFC 294 co-main event, leaving many to wonder how things may have played out had Usman been given a full fight camp to prepare.

“Funny story, right before he took that fight, hasn’t happened too often, but I saw Kamaru Usman out. It was the craziest stuff ever,” Masvidal said. “I was walking into this establishment, I had my shades on and somebody goes, ‘Jorge Masvidal, what’s up?’ I go, ‘Man, that voice sounds f*cking familiar.’ I turned around, this is at 4:30 in the f*cking morning, bro. It’s Usman’s ass and he’s got glasses too. What the f*ck?

“I look, I must have lost my f*cking mind,” he continues. “I lift them (my glasses) up and I go, ‘Usman?!’ and he goes, ‘What’s up, Masvidal?!’ This motherf*cker, bro. That was literally the day before he got the announcement for the fight. So I just want to say if that guy has like five-six weeks to prepare for Chimaev, he takes him out. Guaranteed. He knocks his a** dead.”

Kamaru Usman weighs up continued run at middleweight after UFC 294 return: ‘185 looked good on me’

Kamaru Usman welcomes middleweight run after UFC 294 I looked good at 185 poundsDespite falling short in his middleweight divisional debut earlier this month in the co-main event of UFC 294 against…

Kamaru Usman welcomes middleweight run after UFC 294 I looked good at 185 pounds

Despite falling short in his middleweight divisional debut earlier this month in the co-main event of UFC 294 against the unbeaten, Khamzat Chimaev, former undisputed welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman admits he may continue at the middleweight limit – amid calls for a stay at 185 pounds.

Usman, a former undisputed welterweight champion and pound-for-pound number, slumped to a close, debated majority decision loss to the undefeated finisher, Chimaev in the co-main event of UFC 294 earlier this month in Abu Dhabi, UAE – despite a rallying and valiant effort in the second and third rounds.

Suffering his third consecutive defeat, the ONX Labs trainee dropped a March majority decision loss to three-time foe, Leon Edwards at UFC 286 in London, which followed a spectacular fifth round high-kick knockout loss to the Birmingham native in August of last year, as his dominant title run came to a crashing end.

Welcoming the possibility of a featuring slot at UFC 300 planned for April of next year, Usman weighed up a potential middleweight title-eliminator against the surging, Dricus du Plessis, whilst former champion, Robert Whittaker also welcomed a fight with the Nigerian at the middleweight limit.

“That fight interests me,” Robert Whittaker said. “I like that fight. I’d fight a middleweight (Kamaru) Usman. I don’t think it’s a bad fight to have.”

“What’re you gonna do? Make Usman fight ranks 30 to 20 to get in the top tier?” Robert Whittaker asked. “Consecutive defending welterweight champion, he definitely deserves a dight at the top of the charts. How well he’ll do, we will see but seeing fresh blood at the top of the game, that’s interesting. I like it. Seeing (Khamzat) Chimaev and (Sean) Strickland fighting, that moves things around. I like it. Makes things interesting and exciting. I am here for it. I hope he [Kamaru Usman] stays. Stick around – it’s fun up here, mate.”

Kamaru Usman welcomes middleweight stay after UFC 294

Sharing an update on his immediate future, whilst remaining non-committal on a stay at 185 pounds, Usman claimed he was happy with how he felt and looked at middleweight. 

“The plans – I don’t know, it’s kind of foggy,” Kamaru Usman said on his YouTube channel. “I didn’t mind being up at 185 [pounds]. Yeah, of course, the size was a bit different in the beginning, but I’m a championship-level fighter, so from here on out, we want to make these five rounds [fights] and not three-rounders. I don’t know, 185 [pounds] looked good on me, so we might. We’ll get back to y’all on that.”

Who would you like to see Kamaru Usman fight in his return to the UFC?

Video: Justin Gaethje Tapped Out by Nelk Boys’ Security Detail in Nightclub Encounter

Justin GaethjeJustin Gaethje may be the baddest motherf*cker in the UFC, but that didn’t stop him from getting tapped by…

Justin Gaethje

Justin Gaethje may be the baddest motherf*cker in the UFC, but that didn’t stop him from getting tapped by a member of the Nelk Boys’ security team during an impromptu nightclub tussle.

Gaethje, the man many believe should be next in line for a shot at current lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, was in Abu Dhabi to corner his friend and teammate Kamaru Usman who made his return to the Octagon in the UFC 294 co-main event. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ as he suffered a majority decision defeat at the hands of undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev.

Still, Justin Gaethje and Kamaru Usman appeared to have some fun while they were in Abu Dhabi. During their time in the UAE, the pair reportedly hit up a nightclub alongside online influencers The Nelk Boys. While there, ‘The Highlight’ decided to do a little roughhousing with an unitendified security team member.

Initially, Gaethje appeared to have things well in hand, but after finding himself caught in a kimura, he quickly tapped.

Islam Makhachev is probably feeling pretty good about defending his title against Gaethje right about now.

Kamaru Usman Plays the ultimate sleepover prank on justin gaethje

That wasn’t the only debauchery Justin Gaethje found himself the victim of. In a video initially posted on TikTok, Usman snuck into the BMF titleholder’s room while he was sleeping and drew a penis on the former interim champion’s face.

Despite coming up on the losing end of his short-notice scrap with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, Kamaru Usman was clearly in good spirits and both fighters appeared to have a good time during their excursion to Abu Dhabi.

Robert Whittaker offers to fight Kamaru Usman after UFC 294 loss: ‘Stick around, It’s fun up here, mate’

Robert Whittaker offers to fight Kamaru Usman after UFC 294 stick around up here mateRemaining in contender limbo amid his title-eliminator knockout loss to Dricus du Plessis back in July, former middleweight champion,…

Robert Whittaker offers to fight Kamaru Usman after UFC 294 stick around up here mate

Remaining in contender limbo amid his title-eliminator knockout loss to Dricus du Plessis back in July, former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker has urged former welterweight kingpin, Kamaru Usman to stay at the 185lbs limit after his short-notice UFC 294 loss to Khamzat Chimaev last weekend – eyeing a future fight with the Nigerian.

Whittaker, the current number three ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined from the Octagon since he suffered a second round upset knockout loss to the above-mentioned, du Plessis in an officially billed title-eliminator at UFC 290 back in July during International Fight Week.

As for Usman, the former pound-for-pound number one made a middleweight limit bow over the course of last weekend against the undefeated, Khamzat Chimaev, dropping a close, majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28) loss to the Chechen. 

And with Whittaker sitting atop a list of other contenders he has already defeated, the former titleholder has urged Usman to consider a prolonged middleweight stay – eyeing a future fight with the Auchi native. 

Robert Whittaker offers to fight Kamaru Usman after UFC 294 loss

“That fight interests me,” Robert Whittaker told MMArcade during a recent interview. “I like that fight. I’d fight a middleweight (Kamaru) Usman. I don’t think it’s a bad fight to have.”

“What’re you gonna do? Make Usman fight ranks 30 to 20 to get in the top tier?” Robert Whittaker asked. “Consecutive defending welterweight champion, he definitely deserves a dight at the top of the charts. How well he’ll do, we will see but seeing fresh blood at the top of the game, that’s interesting. I like it. Seeing (Khamzat) Chimaev and (Sean) Strickland fighting, that moves things around. I like it. Makes things interesting and exciting. I am here for it. I hope he [Kamaru Usman] stays. Stick around – it’s fun up here, mate.”

Who wins in a future fight: Robert Whittaker or Kamaru Usman?

Rising Irish star Ian Garry Sets His Sights on Former UFC Champion: ‘Watch what I’ll do to him’

Ian GarryWhether or not you love his brash attitude and the ability to back it up, Ian Garry is a…

Ian Garry

Whether or not you love his brash attitude and the ability to back it up, Ian Garry is a UFC superstar in the making, and ‘The Future’ has some big plans once he takes care of a little business with top-ten-ranked contender Vicente Luque.

After kickstarting his UFC career with an impressive six straight wins, including a decisive decision victory over Neil Magny in his last outing, ‘The Future’ plans on clawing his way up the stacked welterweight rankings. Appearing on the Anik & Florian podcast, Garry hopes to one day share the Octagon with perennial contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, but he isn’t stopping there, calling for potential showdowns with ex-titleholders Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman.

“Here’s the thing, anybody who’s ranked above me, anybody whose number when I finish that fight is ranked higher than me is an opponent and it just has to see,” Garry said. “Right, we sit there and we look at it. I’ve called ‘Wonderboy’ out, he said no to me multiple times. Is the UFC Dublin card gonna manifest? Can we put me and ‘Wonderboy’ on a main event in UFC Dublin in front of the Irish crowd and bring it back to Dublin, Ireland? Why not. 

“If Colby goes out there and gets starched by Leon, who is he gonna fight next? Let me go in there and thump the mouth off him. You’ve got Usman who’s just come off of a loss against Khamzat, why not give me him? Go out there and it’s like alright, Khamzat couldn’t finish him, watch what I’ll do to him. Anybody that’s above me, they’re all opponents” (h/t MMA News).

Ian Garry looking to improve his ground game with one of the UFC’s greatest grapplers

Perhaps the Irishman is biting off a little more than he can chew, but 13 wins in a row certainly shows that Ian Garry is ready for the next level of competition. He’ll get exactly that at UFC 296 in December when he returns to take on Brazilian knockout artist Vicente Luque.

I’m going to spend a month with Demian Maia, improving my jiu-jitsu, working on fundamentals, and just fixing and growing and learning jiu-jitsu from arguably the best grappler that UFC has ever seen,” Garry revealed. “So, that’s what I’m going to do and then I’m going to go in there on December 16 and do whatever the f*ck I want to do when I’m in the fight because I can, that’s the truth.”

Rising Irish star Ian Garry Sets His Sights on Former UFC Champion: ‘Watch what I’ll do to him’

Ian GarryWhether or not you love his brash attitude and the ability to back it up, Ian Garry is a…

Ian Garry

Whether or not you love his brash attitude and the ability to back it up, Ian Garry is a UFC superstar in the making, and ‘The Future’ has some big plans once he takes care of a little business with top-ten-ranked contender Vicente Luque.

After kickstarting his UFC career with an impressive six straight wins, including a decisive decision victory over Neil Magny in his last outing, ‘The Future’ plans on clawing his way up the stacked welterweight rankings. Appearing on the Anik & Florian podcast, Garry hopes to one day share the Octagon with perennial contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, but he isn’t stopping there, calling for potential showdowns with ex-titleholders Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman.

“Here’s the thing, anybody who’s ranked above me, anybody whose number when I finish that fight is ranked higher than me is an opponent and it just has to see,” Garry said. “Right, we sit there and we look at it. I’ve called ‘Wonderboy’ out, he said no to me multiple times. Is the UFC Dublin card gonna manifest? Can we put me and ‘Wonderboy’ on a main event in UFC Dublin in front of the Irish crowd and bring it back to Dublin, Ireland? Why not. 

“If Colby goes out there and gets starched by Leon, who is he gonna fight next? Let me go in there and thump the mouth off him. You’ve got Usman who’s just come off of a loss against Khamzat, why not give me him? Go out there and it’s like alright, Khamzat couldn’t finish him, watch what I’ll do to him. Anybody that’s above me, they’re all opponents” (h/t MMA News).

Ian Garry looking to improve his ground game with one of the UFC’s greatest grapplers

Perhaps the Irishman is biting off a little more than he can chew, but 13 wins in a row certainly shows that Ian Garry is ready for the next level of competition. He’ll get exactly that at UFC 296 in December when he returns to take on Brazilian knockout artist Vicente Luque.

I’m going to spend a month with Demian Maia, improving my jiu-jitsu, working on fundamentals, and just fixing and growing and learning jiu-jitsu from arguably the best grappler that UFC has ever seen,” Garry revealed. “So, that’s what I’m going to do and then I’m going to go in there on December 16 and do whatever the f*ck I want to do when I’m in the fight because I can, that’s the truth.”