"The power of Usman could make a huge difference" - John McCarthy talks potential fight between Charles Oliveira and Kamaru Usman
John McCarthy has weighed in on a potential superfight between current lightweight king Charles Oliveira and reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
During the latest episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy, along with co-host Josh Thomson, discussed the possibility of a superfight between the two divisional kingpins.
The 59-year-old said that although 'The Nigerian Nightmare's punching power could pose a serious threat to Oliveira, the Brazilian would still have a chance to win the contest.
"Usman has already been against very good submission fighters. He understands where his strength is. He understands what he needs to do and the big difference here... The power of Usman could make a huge difference in this fight. But it's a great matchup and if you think about these guys going at it, you can't sit there and say that Oliveira cannot beat Kamaru Usman. you definitely can't say that Usman is going to lose to Oliveira. It's a great fight. I would love to see it. I just don't think it's gonna happen."
Catch McCarthy and Thomson talking about the potential superfight below:
All the talk of this potential superfight started after Oliveira's appearance on a recent episode of MMA Fighting's Trocacao Franco podcast. During the discussion, 'Do Bronx' expressed interest in fighting at featherweight or welterweight in order to become a double-champ.
"If I had the opportunity to go straight for the 145-pound belt, I'd move down to fight. Also, if I had the opportunity to go straight for the 170-pound belt, I'd also move up to fight... Becoming a two-division champion, a Brazilian man, would be awesome."
. @charlesdobronxs would welcome the chance to be a #UFC double champ 🏆🏆 https://t.co/H2xQ3FYZNP
Charles Oliveira is currently on a 10-fight win streak
After facing several adversities earlier in his UFC career, Charles Oliveira has turned things around. He is currently sitting at the top of the lightweight mountain as the champion.
'Do Bronx' has now won 10 fights in a row at lightweight. That streak includes victories over former interim champions like Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier.
After winning the vacant title against Michael Chandler at UFC 262 last May, Oliveira made his first defense at UFC 269 in December. Despite entering his main event fight with 'The Diamond' as the underdog, the Brazilian successfully retained the gold. He did so via third-round submission.
He's next expected to face top contender Justin Gaethje.