UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman considers jumping to light heavyweight to challenge for second title
Kamaru Usman has claimed he could move up two weight classes in the near future to challenge for a second UFC title.
Usman has reigned as welterweight champion since 2019 and has successfully retained the belt five times. The Nigerian-American is set for his next defence in August, when he rematches Leon Edwards, whom he outpointed in 2015.
Usman is seen by many in the sport as the UFC’s No 1 pound-for-pound fighter, and his dominance at 170lbs has led some fans and pundits to suggest that the 35-year-old should try to become a dual-weight UFC champion – a feat that would see him join a short list of fighters.
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Usman (20-1), however, has previously said that he would not challenge for the middleweight title as long as it is held by reigning champion Israel Adesanya, who is also of Nigerian descent. With Usman seemingly too big to drop down to lightweight, he has now said he could jump up two divisions to fight at light heavyweight.
“After Leon Edwards, we have our sights set on [light heavyweight],” Usman told TMZ.
“Whether it’s Jan [Blachowicz] or whether it’s Jiri [Prochazka], whoever it is, that’s what we want. I want to prove to the world that there’s a reason why they say ‘pound-for-pound’.
“That means pound-for-pound at any given time, any given moment, any given weight, I can go in there and not only hold my own; I can be victorious. I wanna be able to prove that.”
Usman, who is on a 19-fight win streak, was referring to current UFC light heavyweight champion Prochazka and former champion Blachowicz.
Prochazka submitted Glover Teixeira to win the title in June, eight months after 42-year-old Teixeira claimed the belt by submitting Blachowicz.
Many fans expected Blachowicz to be next in line for the winner of Prochazka and Teixeira’s recent clash, but the competitive nature of the fight led most observers to clamour for an instant rematch. Prochazka, the first Czech UFC champion, even called out Brazilian Teixeira this week.
