Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman isn’t looking for an easy fight next after suffering back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards and instead has stated that he wants to fight one of the sport’s most feared fighters, Khamzat Chimaev.
“A fight with myself and Khamzat? Boom,” Usman told ESPN. “And if he (Edwards) keeps winning, I think that’s a fourth fight for sure. … I’m kind of in a place now where I’m having fun with it, so it’s like, what’s the biggest, (most fun), most intense fight that really makes me feel something? That’s a fight right there.
“He’s a fighter, and I’m a fighter at the end of the day. I fight these guys’ heart, not their weight. I’ve been able to deal with middleweights in the gym and sometimes light heavyweights in the gym. If he wants a shot at the welterweight strap, you kind of have to give a little bit and show I can get down here. If he’s able to do it, yeah potentially. And if it’s up at a weight, yeah potentially, as well.”
While Usman’s heart seems set on the Chimaev fight he did also mention Stephen Thompson and Conor McGregor as two other fighter’s he’d be interested in fighting.
“There’s not a ton (of interesting) fights. I’m being honest with you,” Usman said. “That fight (Chimaev) is the No. 1 fight, biggest one out there that makes sense. That’s a pay-per-view in itself. ‘Wonderboy’ (Thompson) is the last guy from my era that I haven’t fought. We were kind of on this collision course and kind of kept missing each other. It’s an intriguing fight. It’s a crazy style to deal with.
“And it’s a crazy one, but Conor (McGregor) always said he wanted a third title. Didn’t he? When I was champion, you can’t just waltz up, skip everybody, and fight for the belt. You’ve got to at least show some legitimacy. And what’s better legitimacy than the No. 1 guy in the division? It makes sense.”
