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Kamaru Usman continues slide further down pound for pound rankings following UFC 286 decision loss

Kamaru Usman, who was once the UFC pound-for-pound number one fighter, has once again dropped down the ladder with the conclusion of his trilogy against Leon Edwards. With all the marbles on the line at UFC 286, Usman had made it clear that Edwards capitalizing on a mistake he made in their rematch would not […]

Kamaru Usman, who was once the UFC pound-for-pound number one fighter, has once again dropped down the ladder with the conclusion of his trilogy against Leon Edwards.

With all the marbles on the line at UFC 286, Usman had made it clear that Edwards capitalizing on a mistake he made in their rematch would not be repeated, but ‘Rocky’ once again found a way to win.

Although there may have been several referee interventions against Edwards, including a point deduction after a fence grab, the Jamaican-born welterweight remained composed and clearly out-pointed Kamaru Usman over five rounds, winning by majority decision.

Kamaru Usman slips down the UFC pound-for-pound pile

This, just the second loss of Usman’s UFC career, steered him down three spots in the P4P rankings, taking him from #5 to #8.

Undisputed bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (#7), newly crowned middleweight champion Alex Pereira (#6), and former champion Israel Adesanya (#5) all moved up ahead of the Kamaru Usman.

Pereira will defend his title for the first time at UFC 287 in Miami, Florida. This will be his fourth time exchanging blows with ‘The last stylebender’ in combat sports, and it will surely have a major influence on the next P4P update.

Sterling will go head-to-head with former two-division champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 288, as Cejudo returns following a three-year layoff.

While Jon Jones is set to face Stipe Miocic this summer, it is unlikely any result removes him from his P4P #1 status, a ranking he has been familiar with throughout his UFC career.

It is up to Alexander Volkanovski (#2), who will be returning to featherweight to fight interim champion Yair Rodriguez later this year, to put any kind of pressure on Jones’ position.

P4P #3 Islam Makhachev may have struggled immensely in his first championship defence, but he will have to remain consistent as Edwards crawls his way up the rankings.

Edwards is expected to hold his second title defence against Colby Covington as per Dana White.

Justin Gaethje calls for Charles Oliveira rematch next following UFC 286 win: ‘I fought like a complete idiot’

Former interim UFC lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje has called for a rematch with either former undisputed champion, Charles Oliveira, or fellow former interim division titleholder, Dustin Poirier in his Octagon return – claiming he fought like a “complete idiot” during his title outing with the Brazilian. Gaethje, the current #3 ranked lightweight contender, co-headlined UFC […]

Gaethje, the current #3 ranked lightweight contender, co-headlined UFC 288 last weekend in London, England – returning to the winner’s enclosure with a majority decision win over Tiger Muay Thai striker, Rafael Fiziev.

Battling with the striking expert over the course of three rounds, Gaethje managed to turn around a deficit with an impressive third round display against Fiziev – bloodying the #6 ranked challenger with a barrage of shots on the feet.

Prior to his win over Fiziev, the ONX Labs staple and Trevor Wittman student challenged for undisputed lightweight championship honors against the above-mentioned, Oliviera back in May of last year.

Starting brightly against the Sao Paulo native, Gaethje landed multiple knockdowns on Oliveira – before he was submitted by the promotion’s most prolific submission ace with a first round rear-naked choke.

Justin Gaethje eyes future rematch with Charles Oliveira

Weighing up his future fighting plans off the back of his win over Fiziev, Gaethje admitted that he would rather not fight friend, Beneil Dariush in the future – but welcomed a pair of rematches against either Oliveira, or Poirier next.

“The loser of the (Charles) Oliveira and (Beneil) Dariush fight – I’d rather not fight Dariush – I love that dude,” Justin Gaethje told assembled reporters following UFC 286. “I think he’s going to beat Oliveira.”

“I fought like a complete idiot when I fought Oliveira, so I’d love to have that fight back,” Justin Gaethje explained. “But Dustin (Poirier) is just as good an option.”

Minting himself as the interim lightweight champion back in May 2020, Gaethje defeated former interim gold holder, Tony Ferguson with an eventual fifth round knockout.

Set for his own Octagon return in May, Oliveira is slated to co-headline UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey — taking on Kings MMA staple, Beneil Dariush over the course of three rounds in a potential title-eliminator.

Francis Ngannou reveals Kamaru Usman did not train ‘Properly’ for UFC 286 title fight due to host of injuries

Former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has revealed that a host of injuries suffered in the lead-up to last weekend’s UFC 286 championship headliner, prevented former welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman from “properly” training for his trilogy rubber match with Leon Edwards. Headlining UFC 286 last Saturday night at The o2 Arena, Usman suffered a […]

Headlining UFC 286 last Saturday night at The o2 Arena, Usman suffered a second consecutive loss to Birmingham native, Edwards, dropping a close, majority decision defeat to the incumbent welterweight kingpin.

Back in August of last year in Salt Lake City, Utah – Usman dropped both his undisputed crown and pound-for-pound number one status, after suffering a fifth round high kick knockout loss to Edwards at the Vivint Arena.

As for Francis Ngannou, the former undisputed heavyweight titleholder was stripped of his status as division champion back in January of this year, as well as booted from the organization after his contractual obligations with the UFC ended in December of last year.

Francis Ngannou shares some insight into Kamaru Usman’s camp ahead of UFC 286

A close friend of fellow former African champion, Usman, Ngannou took to his official YouTube channel where he reflected on the Auchi native’s decision defeat to Edwards – claiming the former was unable to train sufficiently for his trilogy rubber match, after suffering from injuries.

“Usually, when people get knocked out, they don’t come back in the fight,” Francis Ngannou said following UFC 286. “Like, they will be like wobbly, he (Kamaru Usman) was there before tonight, which is like a lot of step back. I know that he didn’t train [for the fight] – he didn’t have to train properly because of a lot of injuries, but he was there.” (Transcribed by MMA News)

Welcoming the opportunity to fight Edwards for a fourth time in the future, Usman has been offered a route back to the welterweight title by former two-time division championship challenger, Stephen Thompson – who admitted he would consider fighting the Nigerian as he targets a July Octagon comeback himself.

Colby Covington warns Leon Edwards he will be stripped of UFC title if he refuses to fight him: ‘He’s a nobody’

Former interim UFC welterweight titleholder, Colby Covington has warned undisputed division champion, Leon Edwards against rejecting a summer fight with him next – claiming the Birmingham native will be stripped of his title as a result. Covington, the current #2 ranked division contender, has yet to feature under the UFC banner since March of last […]

Covington, the current #2 ranked division contender, has yet to feature under the UFC banner since March of last year, defeating former American Top Team training partner, Jorge Masvidal in a one-sided, unanimous decision victory at UFC 273.

As for Edwards, the Team Renegade BJJ & MMA staple headlined UFC 286 last weekend in London, England – defeating common-foe, Kamaru Usman in the duo’s trilogy rubber match – securing a close, majority decision victory.

On Friday during fight week, Clovis native, Colby Covington took to the scales – to the surprise of many, successfully weighing in as an official backup fighter to the welterweight headliner.

And according to UFC president, Dana White, the outspoken contender will fight for undisputed gold against Edwards next – potentially as soon as July.

Colby Covington issues a stark title warning to Leon Edwards

Questioning how Covington – who has been sidelined for over a year, deserves a shot at welterweight gold, Edwards has been described as a “nobody” by the former interim champion, who warned him against refusing to fight him next.

“He (Leon Edwards) get stripped [if he doesn’t take the fight],” Colby Covington told MMA Fighting during a recent interview. “He will get stripped. He’s not the draw in this division, I’m the draw. Look at the numbers from over the weekend, I didn’t even fight and my numbers towered over the main event – those f*ckin’ nobodies. Leon Scott (sic) and Marty Fakenewsman (sic), nobody wants to see those guys everything, there’s no personality, no charisma. Same thing with Marty, he needs a belt to stay relevant.”

“For Leon to sit there and act like he’s Conor McGregor – you’re not Conor McGregor, bro. You don’t get to call the shots. You’re a nobody, dude.”

Colby Covington welcomes future clash with UFC star Conor McGregor: ‘It would be such a blockbuster fight’

Former interim UFC welterweight titleholder, Colby Covington has claimed that a fight with former two-weight Octagon champion, Conor McGregor would be “blockbuster” in the future – admitting that the duo could likely break the all time pay-per-view buyrate. Covington, a former interim UFC welterweight champion and current #2 ranked division contender, has been sidelined from […]

Covington, a former interim UFC welterweight champion and current #2 ranked division contender, has been sidelined from the Octagon since March of last year, securing a unanimous decision win over former teammate, Jorge Masvidal in a one-sided grudge match between the duo.

The victory returned Covington the winner’s enclosure after he dropped a title rematch loss to former champion, Kamaru Usman in November of the prior year in the main event of UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden.

As for McGregor, the former undisputed lightweight and featherweight champion recently finished filming on The Ultimate Fighter 31 – with the Dubliner serving as an opposing coach against top-5 lightweight contender, Michael Chandler – ahead of an expected fight later this year.

Weighing up a future title fight at the welterweight limit with a win over Chandler, McGregor has not fought since fracturing his left tibia and fibula against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.

As for Covington, the Clovis native has been tipped to challenge for welterweight gold against undisputed titleholder, Leon Edwards as soon as International Fight Week in July – after he appeared at UFC 286 as a backup fight on just day’s notice.

Colby Covington weighs up future fight with Conor McGregor

Discussing the possibility of sharing the Octagon with his fellow outspoken pay-per-view star, McGregor in the future, Covington admitted that a bout between the two would be nothing short of “blockbuster”.

“Everybody knows I’m the biggest star right now behind him [Conor McGregor] in the company right now,” Colby Covington told assembled media at UFC 286. “So, if we did wanna do a pay-per-view, it would be such a blockbuster fight – I think it would be honestly the biggest pay-per-view seller in UFC history. Probably around 2,000,000 buys, to be honest.”

“If it happens, you know, beautiful,” Colby Covington explained. “If it doesn’t, you know, I’m not worried about that. I don’t need to fight him for my legacy, I’m gonna keep racking up wins, I’m gonna keep winning world titles.”

Colby Covington welcomes future clash with UFC star Conor McGregor: ‘It would be such a blockbuster fight’

Weighing up a future title fight at the welterweight limit with a win over Chandler, McGregor has not fought since fracturing his left tibia and fibula against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.