Kamaru Usman reveals one condition under which he will accept Shavkat Rakhmonov fight
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has been absent from the octagon since his fight at UFC 286, where he traveled to London to reclaim the title he had previously lost to Leon Edwards.
Amidst speculation surrounding Kamaru Usman's next opponent, especially after his consecutive defeats against 'Rocky', there was a period where a potential matchup with the rising star Khamzat Chimaev seemed likely. However, progress toward finalizing the fight has been scarce.
In a recent discussion during International Fight Week, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' delved into the possibility of facing another undefeated welterweight sensation, Shavkat Rakhmonov. He shed light on the condition that would prompt him to accept the fight:
"Yeah, it's a fight I would take for the title. I mean that's the thing is at the end of the day every man wants to be the champion we get into this when you get to the top of this boy, you wanna be a champion."
He added:
"So who am I to deny him when I'm the champion? If it's not for the championship and we happen to train with the exact same coach, like why what's the point?"
Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below:
Shavkat Rakhmonov, on the other hand, is slated to fight former middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum in the co-main event for UFC Fight Night, which will take place on September 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Kamaru Usman makes a mockery of Khamzat Chimaev's hype
During a recent media interaction at UFC 290, Kamaru Usman issued a stern ultimatum to Khamzat Chimaev regarding their potential fight.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' emphasized that if 'Borz' truly desires to face him, he must either meet the designated weight or cease his online banter.
While acknowledging that Belal Muhammad could be his next opponent, the 36-year-old former champion made it clear that he expects Chimaev to back up his words with actions or step aside:
"The only other name that's out there is probably Belal. Who else makes sense? It's Belal. So you know, Khamzat is you know, at the end of the day this guy, he keeps flirting with me online, you know? He's flirting back and forth with me online at this point, he's just using me for clout, you know? If you wanna fight cut the weight and let's fight, if not, stop using me for clout, stop flirting with me online."
Check out Usman's comments below (from 2:25):