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