Kamaru Usman reveals two current UFC Champions who he can 'never' fight
In an age of numerous Double Champions and an obsession with the marketability of title fights, quite a few UFC superstars have successfully become two-division Champions while some in the past have failed to do so as well.
Amanda Nunes is the only remaining Double Champion out of the four people in UFC history who have done it - including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, and Henry Cejudo.
UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman is regarded as the best 170-pound fighter in the world. He recently appeared on JRE MMA Show (H/T BJPenn.com) where the scenario of moving to another division to fight was brought up. As you know, Lightweight and Middleweight are the divisions that he's sandwiched in between and the current Champions are two men who he highly respects. He told Joe Rogan that he would never fight Khabib Nurmagomedov:
“I would never fight Khabib, that’s my brother. It’s just a mutual respect. I don’t see myself ever fighting Khabib. I don’t see myself ever fighting Israel. Even though a lot of people have hinted toward it. I don’t see myself fighting him. Having two belts in Nigeria is better than just having one guy hold two belts. There’s no desire there. That’s my guy. He’s special.”
As for the other Champion - it just so happens to be his fellow-Nigerian Israel Adesanya. Both men proudly rep their Nation's flag. Similar to Nurmagomedov, it's a matter of respect being the reason why he'll never face The Last Stylebender.
Usman has even been criticized for his lack of overall striking ability, a department where Israel Adesanya is widely considered to be the best in the world. He said he gets envious of the Middleweight King:
“Israel is special. I get kinda envious, like damn I wish I could do that s**t. I wish I could whip my hands around the way he does it and the way he throws that little question mark kick. I’m a fan of these guys, and Israel is one of these guys that’s special.”
It's nice to see the respect that Usman has for his fellow Champions of the other division. The Nigerian Nightmare is expected to face Jorge Masvidal next in 2020, but an injury could keep him out for a while.
Should he not be able to defend the title until the Summer, then Leon Edwards is guaranteed a title shot if he beats Tyron Woodley. Usman is the last man to beat Edwards, edging him out to a decision victory in December 2015.