Tag: Kamaru Usman

Muhammad Unwilling To Be Official Backup To Usman vs. Edwards

UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad isn’t interested in being an official backup for the upcoming title fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, but he is open to fighting on the same card. In an interview with MMA Junkie where Muhammad also left Kamaru Usman off his welterweight Mount Rushmore, “Remember the Name” was asked…

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UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad isn’t interested in being an official backup for the upcoming title fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, but he is open to fighting on the same card.

In an interview with MMA Junkie where Muhammad also left Kamaru Usman off his welterweight Mount Rushmore, “Remember the Name” was asked if he’d be willing to weigh in as a backup for the planned welterweight title fight between Usman and Edwards.

Muhammad was quick to dismiss the idea of being a backup.

“I’d rather be on the card with them,” Muhammad said. “I don’t want to make weight just to make weight,” Muhammad said. If I’m on a card with them, I’d rather have that. I’ll be on the same card and then if one of them ends up pulling out, I’ll hop in that way.

“If you’re really thinking about it, if I do end up fighting [Khamzat] Chimaev or something, training for him would be the same as training for Usman,” Muhammad explained.

(Alex Behunin/Cageside Press)

Competing in the UFC since 2016 and currently on a three-fight win streak, the 33-year-old Muhammad understands the value of a chance at the title.

When asked if he thought that fighters who weigh-in as backups are mentally and physically prepared to fight, Muhammad provided the following response.

“For me, to get my first title shot and get a chance at it, I’d want it to be legit where I know for 8 weeks that’s all I’m focused on.”

Currently the UFC’s #5-ranked welterweight, Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad earned a unanimous decision victory in his most recent fight against Vincente Luque last month.

In addition to it being Muhammad’s second UFC main event, the Chicago native also avenged his 2016 knockout loss to Luque. Muhammad is currently on a three-fight win streak after his 2021 bout with Leon Edwards was stopped due to an eye poke and declared a No Contest.

If Muhammad really does intend to fight on the same card as Usman vs. Edwards, he’ll have to wait until the fight has a confirmed date. There’s also the question of the opponent, as there are very few welterweights ranked above him following that win over Luque.

With Edwards set to challenge Usman for the title and Gilbert Burns coming off a loss to Khamzat Chimaev, Colby Covington and Chimaev appear to be the only matchups that make sense if Muhammad wants to keep climbing the welterweight rankings.

What do you think of Muhammad’s comments on the idea of weighing in as a backup fighter?

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Kamaru Usman Justifies Canelo Callout With Masvidal KO

Kamaru Usman thinks the proof is in the pudding when it comes to his callout of Canelo Álvarez for a boxing match. The UFC welterweight champion has been campaigning for a boxing bout with the Mexican star for some time now. However, those pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears, as neither Canelo nor…

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Kamaru Usman thinks the proof is in the pudding when it comes to his callout of Canelo Álvarez for a boxing match.

The UFC welterweight champion has been campaigning for a boxing bout with the Mexican star for some time now. However, those pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears, as neither Canelo nor UFC President Dana White seems too keen on making that fight a priority at the moment.

That hasn’t deterred Usman, who continues to press for the fight. Speaking on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Usman hit back at critics who say he has no business being inside the boxing ring against an opponent such as Álvarez.

“You would think I train on how to punch people’s faces,” Usman said. “I put in work. I put in work each and every day, whether it’s boxing or kickboxing. We put in the time. With that time, I’m confident in my abilities.

“Listen, when I said, ‘Hey, Jorge Masvidal, you said you wanted a full camp, that you were going to be able to take me out with a full camp.’ I said, ‘Hey, this time I’m going to knock your head to the moon and I’m going to do it.’

“After I went out there and dealt with [Gilbert] Burns, I got him back and said, ‘Masvidal, you’re next. I’ll give you another shot, I’ll give you a full camp and I’m knocking your head to the moon this time.’

“Everyone said, ‘Masvidal’s the best boxer in MMA.’ I sent him to the shadow realm. I think he’s still up there.”

Usman said he’s confident in his abilities, especially his striking, pointing to what he’s done against strikers such as Jorge Masvidal in the past as prime examples.

Within mixed martial arts (MMA), Usman is undoubtedly one of the most dominant forces inside the Octagon. The current reigning welterweight king is undefeated in the UFC and has put together an impressive 19-fight win streak since his first pro loss in 2013.

After capturing the welterweight throne in 2019, Usman has successfully defended his title five times. With that, he’s hoping to get a shot at Canelo, which would not only do wonders for his bank account but also his legacy should he pull off the impossible.

What do you make of Kamaru Usman and his campaign to fight Canelo? Do you want to see it? Let us know down below!

Quotes via MMA Fighting

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Blachowicz: It Would Be A “Pleasure” To Fight Kamaru Usman

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has left the door open for a potential future fight with welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman. Earlier this year, Usman, who has reigned supreme over the 170-pound division since 2019 and defended the title five times since his crowning, made headlines by revealing he’d considered a two-division championship quest…

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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has left the door open for a potential future fight with welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman.

Earlier this year, Usman, who has reigned supreme over the 170-pound division since 2019 and defended the title five times since his crowning, made headlines by revealing he’d considered a two-division championship quest in 2021, but by uniquely skipping a weight class.

With no desire to fight fellow African champ and friend Israel Adesanya, “The Nigerian Nightmare” had his sights set on light heavyweight gold. Usman later clarified that his champ-champ ambitions solely derived from his belief that then-titleholder Blachowicz was a favourable matchup for him.

“No disrespect to Jan. I think he’s a great competitor, he’s a very powerful guy, he’s got a lot of power in his hands, but I thought that was a matchup that favored me,” Usman said during an interview with CBS Sports.

As it turns out, a desire for that matchup isn’t one-sided.

Blachowicz On Usman Fight: Why Not?

During a recent interview with the New York Post, Blachowicz, who seemingly ended Usman’s 205-pound goals by dropping the belt to Glover Teixeira last October, admitted that it would be a “pleasure” to share the Octagon with the pound-for-pound best.

“He is the best fighter in the world right now, yes? That would be [a] pleasure for me to fight against someone like him,” said Blachowicz. “Why not? We can do it in [the] future. I will be ready. It will be [an] exciting fight.”

If Blachowicz is to make a date in the cage with Usman come to fruition, he’ll first have to reclaim his place on the light heavyweight throne, a feat that he’ll move closer to accomplishing if he can emerge victorious this weekend.

In the UFC Vegas 54 main event, the Polish powerhouse will face fellow European Aleksandar Raki? in what many perceive to be a title eliminator.

Should Blachowicz defeat the Austrian on Saturday and go on to dethrone either Teixeira or number-one contender Ji?í Procházka, perhaps Usman’s thoughts of a transition to light heavyweight will be re-ignited.

How do you think a fight between Jan Blachowicz and Kamaru Usman would play out?

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Blachowicz: It Would Be A “Pleasure” To Fight Kamaru Usman

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has left the door open for a potential future fight with welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman. Earlier this year, Usman, who has reigned supreme over the 170-pound division since 2019 and defended the title five times since his crowning, made headlines by revealing he’d considered a two-division championship quest…

Continue Reading Blachowicz: It Would Be A “Pleasure” To Fight Kamaru Usman at MMA News.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has left the door open for a potential future fight with welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman.

Earlier this year, Usman, who has reigned supreme over the 170-pound division since 2019 and defended the title five times since his crowning, made headlines by revealing he’d considered a two-division championship quest in 2021, but by uniquely skipping a weight class.

With no desire to fight fellow African champ and friend Israel Adesanya, “The Nigerian Nightmare” had his sights set on light heavyweight gold. Usman later clarified that his champ-champ ambitions solely derived from his belief that then-titleholder Blachowicz was a favourable matchup for him.

“No disrespect to Jan. I think he’s a great competitor, he’s a very powerful guy, he’s got a lot of power in his hands, but I thought that was a matchup that favored me,” Usman said during an interview with CBS Sports.

As it turns out, a desire for that matchup isn’t one-sided.

Blachowicz On Usman Fight: Why Not?

During a recent interview with the New York Post, Blachowicz, who seemingly ended Usman’s 205-pound goals by dropping the belt to Glover Teixeira last October, admitted that it would be a “pleasure” to share the Octagon with the pound-for-pound best.

“He is the best fighter in the world right now, yes? That would be [a] pleasure for me to fight against someone like him,” said Blachowicz. “Why not? We can do it in [the] future. I will be ready. It will be [an] exciting fight.”

If Blachowicz is to make a date in the cage with Usman come to fruition, he’ll first have to reclaim his place on the light heavyweight throne, a feat that he’ll move closer to accomplishing if he can emerge victorious this weekend.

In the UFC Vegas 54 main event, the Polish powerhouse will face fellow European Aleksandar Raki? in what many perceive to be a title eliminator.

Should Blachowicz defeat the Austrian on Saturday and go on to dethrone either Teixeira or number-one contender Ji?í Procházka, perhaps Usman’s thoughts of a transition to light heavyweight will be re-ignited.

How do you think a fight between Jan Blachowicz and Kamaru Usman would play out?

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Belal Muhammad Leaves Usman Off His Welterweight Mount Rushmore

Belal Muhammad has left Kamaru Usman off of his welterweight Mount Rushmore list. GOAT debates are still as subjective as they have always been. Part of this is because there are often different criteria being weighed within the same discussion. Some may argue based on who they believe to be better from a skill-based perspective,…

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Belal Muhammad has left Kamaru Usman off of his welterweight Mount Rushmore list.

GOAT debates are still as subjective as they have always been. Part of this is because there are often different criteria being weighed within the same discussion.

Some may argue based on who they believe to be better from a skill-based perspective, while others primarily consider factors like résumé and the number of title defenses.

Whatever the criteria may be per person, the one absolute is that there will always be differences in opinion regarding who is the GOAT in whatever category is being discussed. However, sometimes there is some common ground found, especially if the parameters of the debate are broadened.

For instance, what if instead of one GOAT, you were provided four slots in a Mount Rushmore list? There are much more likely to be names that will absolutely pop up like Dominick Cruz at bantamweight, Daniel Cormier at light heavyweight, Anderson Silva at middleweight, etc., even if one doesn’t consider those fighters to be the GOATs in those divisions.

UFC news, rumors: Kamaru Usman responds to Colby Covington's PED accusations ahead of UFC 245 - CBSSports.com
Kamaru Usman, Copyright: 2019 Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

Perhaps the same could be said for Kamaru Usman. Although Georges St-Pierre is arguably the consensus greatest welterweight of all time, surely the man with the most consecutive wins in the division, the third most successful world title defenses, and the best overall winning percentage in company history would make the division’s Mount Rushmore cut, right?

Not according to #5-ranked welterweight Belal Muhammad.

“My welterweight Mount Rushmore? GSP, obviously; I would put T-Woodley; I would put Matt Hughes; and then I would put maybe BJ Penn, just because he had that one fight, but that’s my (list) right now,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie.

At this point, one of the podcast hosts, Gorgeous George, couldn’t help but ask about Usman’s absence from Muhammad’s list.

“No, he ain’t getting that respect until he beats me,” Muhammad declared. “And if you’re looking at it, I tell people, people keep saying he’s one of the best welterweights ever of all time. I’m like, he’s beaten Colby twice, he’s beaten Masvidal twice, he’s beaten Gilbert [Burns].

“Those are just three guys. It’s not like he’s gone through seven or eight different opponents. I mean, I respect him as a champion. He’s staying busy. But you’re fighting rematches before you’re giving other guys a chance to match up against you.”

While everyone is entitled to their opinions on such subjective matters, Muhammad’s reasoning does have some clear inconsistencies.

Firstly, if the primary reason for omitting Usman is because of the number of fighters he’s defended his title against, Tyron Woodley also defended his title against three different men: Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, and Darren Till. This doesn’t even take into account the fact that Usman dominated Woodley to win the championship.

More glaringly, B.J. Penn has a grand sum of 0 welterweight title defenses on his résumé.

Nevertheless, if you look closely, you might detect a subtle smirk on Muhammad’s face as he mulled over his list during lengthy silences between his mentions. This, plus the fact that he inserted himself into Usman’s requirements to make the cut, could very well signal that Muhammad is either trolling or trying to prod Usman into a title fight against him.

At the moment, Usman is scheduled to face a new challenger in Leon Edwards at an unconfirmed date. However, Usman does hold a pre-title-reign victory over Edwards, so perhaps Muhammad will give minimal if any credit if Usman completes this sixth successful title defense.

What do you make of Belal Muhammad’s welterweight Mount Rushmore?

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Usman: No One Is Justified In Doing What Masvidal Did To Covington

UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has weighed in more in-depth on the alleged Jorge Masvidal/Colby Covington altercation in Miami. The beef between Covington and Masvidal is far from settled following their UFC 272 grudge match. Covington earned a unanimous decision win as he moves closer to a potential third fight with Usman. Just days after…

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UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has weighed in more in-depth on the alleged Jorge Masvidal/Colby Covington altercation in Miami.

The beef between Covington and Masvidal is far from settled following their UFC 272 grudge match. Covington earned a unanimous decision win as he moves closer to a potential third fight with Usman.

Just days after the fight, the two 170lb stars came face-to-face once again outside of a Miami-area restaurant. Masvidal allegedly orchestrated a surprise assault on Covington as he was leaving the restaurant and faces felony battery and criminal mischief charges stemming from the incident.

Usman is no stranger to Covington and Masvidal. He has defeated both of them twice over his UFC career, which resulted in him earning the top UFC pound-for-pound spot.

The altercation allegedly stemmed from Covington’s pre-fight trash talk regarding Masvidal’s ex-wife and children. Despite Covington arguably crossing the line of mental warfare, Usman doesn’t think Covington’s words warranted the assault.

“I don’t think anyone has justification to do that,” Usman said in a UFC 274 guest interview. “It’s like two guys in here right now started fighting, there’s no justification for that. As a man, you should be able to use your words as your parents would say, but if you can sign contracts in the UFC, step in the cage and handle business.”

Usman isn’t the only combat sports athlete to criticize Masvidal for his alleged actions. Daniel Cormier and Jake Paul are among the names who have questioned the incident.

The investigation into the alleged incident involving Masvidal and Covington is ongoing, and Masvidal isn’t in police custody after posting bail.

Do you agree with Kamaru Usman’s comments?

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