UFC: ‘I would never fight Khabib Nurmagomedov or Israel Adesanya,’ says welterweight champion Kamaru Usman
- Kamaru Usman says he respects Khabib Nurmagomedov too much and wants Israel Adesanya to help carry the Nigerian flag
- The Nigerian-American also dreams of breaking the legendary Georges St-Pierre record against the man himself
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman’s next title defence is still up for discussion, but there are two divisional champions that the Nigerian-American vows never to face in the Octagon.
The first is undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov who, similar to Usman, tends to dominate his opponents using high-level wrestling and ground-and-pound. The fighters also appear to be friends outside the combat world.
“I would never fight Khabib – that’s my brother,” Usman said on the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show on Wednesday. “It’s just like a mutual respect [so] I don’t see myself ever fighting Khabib.”
The other champion Usman is reluctant to face is middleweight’s Israel Adesanya. The undefeated Nigerian-New Zealander followed in Usman’s footsteps last year to become Africa’s second-ever UFC champion, giving Nigeria two belt-holders.
“And I don’t see myself fighting Israel. There have been quite a few people hinting towards it … but there’s plenty of people. Having two [champions] in Nigeria is better than having one hold two belts,” Usman said.
Adesanya – who won the belt over Robert Whittaker last year and is to defend it against Yoel Romero in March – is known for his kick-boxing-based techniques and has emerged as one of the promotion’s biggest stars.