"The world is just filled with haters now" - Kamaru Usman on fans not acknowledging him as the GOAT even if he dominates the light heavyweight division
Kamaru Usman has hit back at fans, saying that he won't be given due credit even if he moves up to dominate the light heavyweight division in the UFC.
In an interview with The Sports Network (TSN), Usman spoke about his future ambitions, while also stating that fans find every reason to criticize fighters at the top. He said:
"The world is filled with haters now. People just wake up nowadays with 'Oh, you know what, that guy is too great. No. He's not good. He's bad at that.' It is what it is. But, I'm going to go out there and do what I want to do and what I want to do is not only dominate this division like I have, move up to light heavyweight, take that belt, defend that belt and maybe come back down and whoop those guys again. The sky's the limit."
In an interview with GQ earlier this year, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' revealed that he briefly considered moving up two divisions to challenge Jan Blachowicz when he held the light heavyweight belt. He added that he chose to skip middleweight champion and fellow Nigerian Israel Adesanya and face the Pole instead.
However, his lofty ambitions will have to wait as he defends his title at UFC 268 against Leon Edwards, aiming to equal Anderson Silva's record of 16 consecutive wins in the organization.
Watch Kamaru Usman talk about his light heavyweight aspirations below:
Chael Sonnen believes Kamaru Usman's desire to fight for UFC light heavyweight belt stems from boredom
Discussing Kamaru Usman's impressive five title defenses and unbeaten run in the welterweight division, Chael Sonnen is of the belief that Usman's desire to move up divisions stems from boredom.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster' said:
"Kamaru Usman is bored. Now that's rude. That's not a nice way to say it. Those are words that Kamaru has never used and if Kamaru heard me say it, he might even deny them. Kamaru may not know this about himself. He's talking about 205 pounds. He's talking about Canelo Alvarez. He's talking about these monumental challenges for a reason."
Sonnen added that Usman's plans to move up or switch to boxing is extremely rare. Should Usman get the opportunity, he could face the winner of the rematch between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira slated for December.
According to Sonnen, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is looking for a new "challenge," which is why he is hoping to put on such monumental bouts in the future.
ES.PN/UFC278TWKamaru Usman has been a nightmare for his opponents 😱
The P4P king returns tomorrow night at #UFC278 🔜 ES.PN/UFC278TW https://t.co/8t835zApcF
Usman is confident he will join an elite list of two-division champs including Randy Couture, Conor McGregor and Georges-St Pierre.
However, he still has a long road to achieving the feat as he gears up to face Leon Edwards in Utah, seven years following their first meeting back in 2015.
Watch Chael Sonnen talk about Kamaru Usman below: