That man deserves a break - Ali Abdelaziz believes Kamaru Usman's hand injury is a "blessing in disguise"; provides update on his return
Kamaru Usman was originally penciled in to fight at UFC 276 on July 2 against Leon Edwards, but an injured tendon in his hand has pushed back that fight indefinitely.
Even now there is no clear date as to when Usman may be healthy enough to fight again.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Usman's manager Ali Abdelaziz gave an update on how the welterweight champion is dealing with the time off:
"Listen, I think Kamaru has been giving fight after fight, in two months, in three months turnaround. I think that man deserves a break, and I think this injury is a blessing in disguise. He needs to heal his body and he needs to focus on himself and his family. But I'll tell you something, this guy trains every day, it doesn't matter, one hand, one leg, one eye, Kamaru Usman is the pound for pound king for a reason."
He further added:
"I know someone who said he's fighting August 20, which is completely not true because he's still trying out his hand. Kamaru loves to fight. When Kamaru's ready to fight, and credit to the UFC, they're not pressuring us, they're not pushing us. Dana [White], Sean [Shelby], Hunter [Campbell], all those guys, they're being very cool about it because they understand what kind of man Kamaru is."
Watch Ali Abdelaziz discuss Kamaru Usman with MMA Junkie below:
While the UFC was relatively quick to create an interim flyweight title for Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France to fight over at UFC 277, there's no sign the promotion is looking to do the same with Usman's welterweight belt.
That may have to do with Usman's dominance at 170 pounds, where he has five title defenses already against the top fighters in the division.
@Usman84kg is unrivaled. #UFC258
Hard to argue with those stats 😳
🏆🇳🇬 @Usman84kg is unrivaled. #UFC258 https://t.co/cu8rpaZG1u
Ali Abdelaziz believes Kamaru Usman will retire undefeated
Ali Abdelaziz thinks that Kamaru Usman will follow Khabib Nurmagomedov's path and retire from the sport undefeated. In an interview with The Schmo, Abdelaziz once again praised Usman's commitment to training and said:
"That’s why he’s the pound-for-pound king. That’s why I believe he will retire undefeated in the UFC. And I think he’s gonna go on top."
Usman still has some tough challenges at 170 pounds to face if he plans to try and beat Georges St-Pierre's record of eight consecutive title defenses. There's his next opponent Leon Edwards, and then down the road he may face Khamzat Chimaev, Belal Muhammad, or Gilbert Burns again.
Has Kamaru Usman really "cleared" the UFC Welterweight division? 🤔
Belal Muhammad is unsure of Kamaru Usman's Welterweight GOAT status as he questions the number of quality opponents he has fought 👀
#UFC #MMA https://t.co/4lJ4Q8iGjC