Kamaru Usman slams 'loudmouth' Conor McGregor, calls him a 'regular fighter'
Kamaru Usman recently took a jibe at Conor McGregor, claiming that the Irishman is now just a "regular fighter."
The reigning UFC welterweight champion and the MMA megastar are no strangers to one another.
A former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, Conor McGregor has previously asserted that he’d like to claim the UFC welterweight title.
Kamaru Usman, who’s held the UFC welterweight title since March 2019, subsequently challenged Conor McGregor to fight him for the title. However, the fight didn’t come to fruition.
Usman and McGregor have been engaged in a war of words over the past few years.
In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Kamaru Usman opened up on the possibility of him fighting Conor McGregor:
“Loudmouth; just a loudmouth. He (Conor McGregor) does more talking now than he does fighting,” Kamaru Usman said, insinuating that he wouldn’t pursue a fight against Conor McGregor.
“If he wants to fight me, he knows where to find me. He can call me, and we’ll make that fight happen,” Kamaru Usman continued.
When asked what level of respect his fellow fighters currently have for Conor McGregor as a fighter, Kamaru Usman said:
“Right now, it’s more of a loudmouth. He’s a loudmouth. It’s a guy that can compete, but he’s not the ‘champion’ Conor McGregor. He’s not the double champion. He’s not that guy anymore. He’s just a guy that’s in the UFC. Now if he wasn’t Conor; hasn’t done the things that he’s done; he would just be a regular fighter. That’s probably the level of respect he gets now. It’s just he’s a regular fighter with a lot of money and a lot of hype and recognition. But the old Conor, the hungry Conor, that was the fighter that fighters respected. Now – not that we don’t respect him at all – he’s still a UFC fighter. But he’s just a regular fighter.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Kamaru Usman opined that while Conor McGregor isn’t the fighter he used to be, he still respects the Irishman.
Kamaru Usman has lately expressed his willingness to face a wide variety of opponents
Kamaru Usman is coming off a spectacular second-round KO win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 (April 2021). On the heels of his monumental victory, Usman has lately emphasized his willingness to face a wide variety of opponents.
Be it competing against YouTube megastar Jake Paul in a professional boxing match or fighting MMA icon Conor McGregor in the UFC, Kamaru Usman has noted that he’s open to facing any challenger. Usman’s next opponent and comeback date are yet to be determined.
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor’s next fight will be a lightweight bout against Dustin Poirier. The McGregor vs. Poirier trilogy matchup will headline UFC 264 on July 10th, 2021.