Kamaru Usman confident of finishing Khamzat Chimaev as fight talk heats up
Kamaru Usman is desperate to get back to winning ways, and rumors are persisting about the former champion welcoming Khamzat Chimaev into the biggest fight of his career. As reports of the potential welterweight clash heat up, the African has predicted that he'll earn a stoppage victory within four rounds.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' suffered his first knockout loss followed by a decision defeat in his last two UFC showings. Although he's still considered one of the best in the division, the well-rounded athlete will most likely have to claim multiple wins to force himself back into title contention at 170 lbs.
In a post on social media, Kamaru Usman urged fans to 'watch the tapes' as he promised a finish of the currently undefeated and extremely powerful European prodigy Khamzat Chimaev.
I stop him in 4. Watch the tapes 😤😤
Despite winning each of his three fights at welterweight in the UFC thus far, Chimaev's future in the division looks in jeopardy. After being scheduled to face Nate Diaz, the prospect missed weight by a large margin, and the promotion is seemingly forcing the young star to move up to middleweight.
Though he had goals to capture the title at 170, 'Borz' has previously competed at 185 lbs on two occasions in the octagon. The much more experienced John Phillips and the grappling expert Gerald Meerschaert were both made short work of during his two outings in the weight class.
Kamaru Usman is a lifelong welterweight who has found immense success under the UFC banner since winning The Ultimate Fighter 21 back in 2015. His 15-fight win streak will go down as one of the greatest winning runs in the history of the company.
Is Kamaru Usman the only fighter linked to fighting Khamzat Chimaev?
Although nothing is official, it seems Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman are destined to meet in the cage next, but who else was linked with fighting the Swede?
Prior to his proposed move to the middleweight division, the 29-year-old was open to matching up with Colby Covington in what would have been a number-one contender fight for UFC gold.
Following their run-in at the UFC PI, Chimaev was rumored to be interested in a bout against Paulo Costa in what would have been the 12-0 star's introduction to his new division.