Ali Abdelaziz wants Kamaru Usman to brush aside loyalty for Israel Adesanya and aim for three-weight glory
Ali Abdelaziz feels the mutual respect and friendship between Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya is stopping 'The Nigerian Nightmare' from achieving an unprecedented feat in the UFC.
The CEO of Dominance MMA wants his high-profile athlete to become a three-division champion. He believes Usman can beat Adesanya and Jiri Prochazka in potential title fights.
Usman and Adesanya, however, have previously stated that they wouldn't fight each other because of the mutual respect and the Nigerian heritage they share. Abdelaziz wants Usman to brush aside his loyalty to Adesanya and fight him for the title instead.
Once he manages to capture the middleweight throne, Abdelaziz wants 'The Nigerian Nightmare' to make history by fighting for the 205-pound title and potentially becoming a three-division UFC champion.
In response to Chael Sonnen asking whether Usman isn't gunning for a fight against Adesanya out of respect, Abdelaziz wrote on Twitter:
"Yes but I disagree with him I think he should fight 185 lb He can be three division champions but I him and Izzy they will fight for big money."
twitter.com/chaelsonnen/st…
Yes but I disagree with him I think he should fight 185 lb He can be three division champions but I him and Izzy they will fight for big money 💯 twitter.com/chaelsonnen/st…
What's next for Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya?
Kamaru Usman is scheduled to defend the welterweight title in a rematch against Leon Edwards at UFC 278 on August 20. This will be Usman's sixth title defense inside the octagon since winning the title at UFC 235 back in 2019. Usman and Edwards fought each other as up-and-comers in the promotion back in 2015.
Usman got the better of Edwards on that occasion, winning comfortably via unanimous decision. This time around, most expect it to be a different fight as both men have improved by leaps and bounds over the years and are currently on incredible unbeaten streaks.
If he manages to successfully defend the title against Edwards, Usman could pursue a potential crossover boxing match against Canelo Alvarez next.
Israel Adesanya, on the other hand, is set to defend the middleweight title against knockout artist Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2. 'The Last Stylebender' has ruled the 185-pound division with an iron fist thus far and will be looking to pick up his seventh title fight win (including an interim title fight against Kelvin Gastelum) against Cannonier next month.
Here's the official poster for UFC 276 🏆 https://t.co/Zs4LryfrMV