5 reasons why moving to 205lbs could be a huge mistake for Kamaru Usman
While he’ll have his hands full with top challenger Leon Edwards at UFC 278 this weekend, reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has already made plans for his next step – moving up to 205lbs to challenge for the light heavyweight title.
If Kamaru Usman moves up to 205lbs to attempt to win the light heavyweight title, he won’t be the first fighter to attempt to win titles in two weight classes – but would the move be a mistake?
Sure, there’s nothing wrong with a fighter as good as ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ setting his sights high, but in this instance, it feels like a step too far.
Here are five reasons why moving to 205lbs would be a huge mistake for Kamaru Usman.
#5. Kamaru Usman cannot be sure how his body might respond to gaining a lot of weight
One major reason why a move to 205lbs might go badly for Kamaru Usman is that it’s basically impossible to guess how his body might respond to gaining so much weight.
Sure, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ probably doesn’t walk around at the 170lbs that he weighs in for his welterweight fights at. If he’s in training camp, the likelihood is that he probably weighs anywhere between 185lbs and 195lbs.
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However, for him to bulk up to 205lbs enough to be competitive with the larger fighters there would probably require him to gain even more weight, perhaps even another 20lbs.
Even if Usman could do that without piling on too much bodyfat, then whether he’d ever be able to make it back down to his previous weight, as he’s suggested he’d like to do, would be very questionable.
It could be argued that such a move in weight would be possible for a younger fighter, but Usman turned 35 years old in May and is probably reaching the back end of his athletic prime.
Basically, for him to attempt to change his weight so much at this point in his career would be a huge risk that would arguably not be worth taking.
#4. Kamaru Usman might be badly outgunned at 205lbs
While we’ve seen a number of fighters succeed after moving up in weight, with the likes of Henry Cejudo and Conor McGregor being able to claim titles in a heavier division, a great deal more have found such a move tricky.
One aspect of moving up in weight that’s usually telling is the difference in punching power as the weight classes get bigger. It goes without saying that a fighter who weighs 265lbs is always going to hit harder than one who weighs 125lbs, but even a 15lb difference can be remarkable.
If Kamaru Usman were to move to 205lbs, then – a weight class 35lbs heavier than the one he currently competes at – there’d definitely be a chance of him being completely outgunned by the bigger fighters there.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has always displayed a strong chin at 170lbs, absorbing big shots at times, but he was knocked down by Gilbert Burns in their bout. There’s no question that someone like reigning UFC light heavyweight champ Jiri Prochazka would hit harder than ‘Durinho’.
Burns clips Usman in the first! 😳
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Essentially, if he were to move to 205lbs, Usman would likely risk suffering a brutal knockout, something that could have a negative impact on his MMA career as a whole moving forward.
#3. Kamaru Usman’s reasoning for not moving to 185lbs is flawed
Kamaru Usman has defended his UFC welterweight title successfully on five occasions. If he can beat Leon Edwards this weekend in his latest defense, then there would probably be an argument for him having cleaned out the 170lb division.
If ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ were to moot a potential move up to 185lbs, then, it’s fair to say that few fans and observers could begrudge him. So why is Usman instead considering moving up two weight classes to 205lbs?
According to most reports, it’s because he wants to avoid a potential bout with reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who he considers a friend.
In a lot of senses, though, this is flawed reasoning from Usman. While he might consider Adesanya a friend due to their shared Nigerian heritage, the two men have never trained together regularly, and so surely there’d be a case for them shelving their friendship for a night in order to make money together.
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More to the point, ‘The Last Stylebender’ has his next title defense booked, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll beat Alex Pereira in that fight. So why wouldn’t Usman simply wait for that fight to happen before signaling any plans of moving up?
Essentially, a move to 185lbs makes far more sense for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ than a move to 205lbs, regardless of his friendship with Adesanya.
#2. Kamaru Usman might be leaving money on the table if he abandons the welterweight division
If he beats Leon Edwards to defend his title for a sixth time this weekend, few fans could begrudge Kamaru Usman for believing that he’d cleaned out the UFC welterweight division. However, that categorically isn’t true.
Sure, Usman has beaten the likes of Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal, but there are other fresh contenders rising up the ladder looking for their own title shot.
More to the point, while some of these contenders, names like Sean Brady and Belal Muhammad, are flying under the radar somewhat, a couple of them could go onto become major stars for the UFC.
The hype around Khamzat Chimaev is off the charts right now, and if he can beat Nate Diaz in his first headliner in September, then a bout between him and Usman would probably become the kind of fight that could draw big money.
Kamaru Usman says Khamzat Chimaev has proven worthy of a title shot 🐺🏆
Full story: bit.ly/3MeSCwh https://t.co/D4WNs69vWE
Shavkat Rakhmonov, meanwhile, is garnering more hype every time he fights. While he’s not quite on Chimaev’s level yet, it’s easy to imagine him becoming a drawing card in the near future.
For Usman to leave a fight with Chimaev, in particular, on the table to move up to 205lbs would be a major mistake, both for his legacy and from a financial perspective. If anything, it’d probably make ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ more money than a fight with the 205lb champion.
#1. Kamaru Usman could be harming his chance of becoming the welterweight GOAT by moving up to 205lbs
While Kamaru Usman’s reign as UFC welterweight champion has been remarkably successful, it’s probably fair to say that even if he beats Leon Edwards in his sixth defense this weekend, he’ll still be behind Georges St-Pierre in the division’s overall pantheon of greats.
Despite this, based on his performances since becoming champion, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ probably has more of a chance to overhaul GSP and become the UFC’s welterweight GOAT than any other fighter.
If he defeats Edwards, three more defenses would draw him level with St-Pierre, and a fourth would actually push him past the Canadian.
Given that Usman already holds a longer winning streak than GSP was able to achieve during his tenure with the UFC – a ridiculous 15 fights – if he could surpass the Canadian’s number of title defenses, he’d definitely be the GOAT.
Has Kamaru Usman surpassed GSP as the welterweight GOAT? 🤔
Source, MMA Fighting: mmafighting.com/2021/10/15/227… https://t.co/KhUUX1eIyo
It would be the kind of indelible legacy that Usman simply wouldn’t be able to get if he were to move to 205lbs and fail to win the title there, as seems likely. And if he were to make that move, could he then return and continue to dominate at 170lbs? It’s hard to say.
Essentially, by making this move, Usman would be harming his chances of being recognized as the GOAT, which seems like a more achievable goal for him.