"Maybe not as crazy" - Kamaru Usman sees himself following in Khabib Nurmagomedov's footsteps
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman believes he's going to follow in Khabib Nurmagomedov's footsteps and begin training fighters once he retires from MMA.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' is well on his way to being recognized as one of the greatest ever to compete in the sport. The 35-year-old welterweight has only suffered one loss in his professional career (20-1) which was in 2013, his second-ever bout. Since then, Usman has dominated during his time in the UFC, capturing the 170lbs title and successfully defending the belt five times.
In a video uploaded to Francis Ngannou's YouTube channel, Usman discussed his future with the UFC heavyweight champion:
"I'm confident I'm gonna train still [after retirement] because I like to live, I like to train. I think I'm gonna miss MMA to the point I'm gonna train a lot. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] right now, I think I'm gonna be like that. Maybe not as crazy because that guy has a whole team to train but I'm gonna love training. Khabib right now, he loves training and he f***s those guys up!"
Kamaru Usman will look to defend his title for a sixth time when he faces British contender Leon Edwards later this month. The bout is a rematch between the pair, with Usman having won their first fight via unanimous decision back in 2015.
Watch the full video here:
Chael Sonnen suggests Kamaru Usman may not be fully focused on upcoming title bout with Leon Edwards
Leon Edwards will make the walk to the UFC octagon on a streak of 10 straight wins to face the last man to defeat him, Kamaru Usman.
Due to Usman's dominance in the octagon, most opponents have often been given little to no chance of dethroning the Nigerian-born American. Although the 35-year-old holds a victory over Edwards, that fight may count for little as both fighters have improved immensely since their 2015 bout.
Speaking about the UFC 278 main event on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen believes Usman may not have taken this training camp seriously. 'The American Gangster' feels the champion could be eyeing up a move to a higher weight class or a venture outside of the UFC:
"The most likely and realistic way that you get on with that [welterweight] division and you get some fresh blood in there is if Kamaru walks away... He's talking about fighting Canelo [Alvarez], Jake Paul's just good enough... I can only imagine how difficult it would be to stay motivated when you've lapped the division... I think he's considering getting some fresh blood and some fresh options, if he's gotta go to a different weight class to do it, or he's gotta go into a different sport."
Catch Chael Sonnen's full thoughts on the welterweight division here: