"It's refreshing to be around a guy and not size him up" - Kamaru Usman shoots down chances of potential Israel Adesanya super-fight

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Israel Adesanya (left) & Kamaru Usman (right) [Image Credits- @usman84kg on Instagram]

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman recently offered his take on a super-fight against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He asserted that he had no interest in competing against the Nigerian-born Kiwi.

Usman was recently seen facing off with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz backstage at UFC 276. He previously opened up about his plans to skip the middleweight division altogether and move directly up to light heavyweight to compete for the 205 lbs strap.

While in conversation with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' doubled down on these claims. Kamaru Usman offered fans some insight into the uncomfortable feeling that he felt with colleagues, who are potential challengers or champions, who may have to defend their titles against him.

He asserted that it was a refreshing feeling to not be worried about the possibility of entertaining a challenge from a fighter like Israel Adesanya. He further admitted that he was glad to see Adesanya dominate the 185-pound division.

Here's what Usman had to say about the same:

"It's refreshing to be around a guy and not be size him up, you know? Because like I feel it. I'm around guys like Charles Oliveira and I feel it. I feel that heat a little bit... It is an uncomfortable feeling to be able to be around. But it keeps you on your toes and, you know, it's refreshing not to be doing that with [Israel Adesanya], you know?"

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Kamaru Usman admits he considered moving to middleweight when Israel Adesanya moved up to 205 lbs

In the same interview with Brett Okamoto, Kamaru Usman offered fans some insight into his mindset when he heard about Israel Adesanya's decision to move up a weight class and compete for the light heavyweight strap in a fight against Jan Blachowicz.

'The Last Stylebender' decided to stake his claim for the light heavyweight strap at UFC 259 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada. The main event clash saw the Pole outperform Adesanya over the course of five rounds to successfully defend his title by way of unanimous decision.

Usman admitted that he was intrigued by the prospect of staking his claim for the middleweight strap after Adesanya's move to light heavyweight. Here's what he had to say about the same:

"I did wonder that when he went up to challenge Jan Blachowicz and that did come into my mind like, 'Oh, if he goes up and vacates that belt, then yeah, it's time for me to move up and go ahead and grab that belt.'"

Check out Kamaru Usman's full interaction with Brett Okamoto below:

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