UFC: Bisping calls for Israel Adesanya vs Kamaru Usman – ‘they’re both from Nigeria, so what?’
- UFC Hall of Famer not buying middleweight and welterweight champions’ reluctance to fight each other, saying ‘there doesn’t need to be bad blood’
- ‘You want to go down as one of the greatest of all time, that’s what you’ve got to do’ Bisping argues
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman have no excuse not to fight.
Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in New Zealand, is the reigning middleweight king. The 32-year-old won the title with a second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker in 2019, and after successful defences against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori, will look for a second win over Whittaker at UFC 271 on February 11 in Houston, Texas.
The 34-year-old Usman, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in the United States, holds the UFC welterweight title, and has been no less dominant than Adesanya. He won the title with a decision win over Tyron Woodley in 2019, and has beaten most of his division’s top contenders – two of them twice.
If Adesanya gets by Whittaker again later this month, Bisping is adamant that a fight with Usman should be next.
“Let’s assume Izzy goes out there and stops Robert Whittaker, what does he do next?” the fighter turned commentator posited on his YouTube channel. “There’s one fight that I think makes perfect sense. There’s another guy that’s lapping the competition: That is ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, Kamaru Usman.
“His next fight is going to be against Leon Edwards. [He] already beat him. Before that, Colby [Covington]. Already beat him. Before that, [Jorge] Masvidal. Already beat him. He’s been through all the contenders. He needs a fresh challenge.”
Bisping is far from the first person to suggest a fight between Adesanya (21-1) and Usman (20-1). But so far, both men have expressed disinterest in the match-up on the grounds that they’d prefer not to fight a fellow Nigerian or African.