Kamaru Usman and the UFC aren’t on the same page when it comes to an Islam Makhachev title fight.
The former welterweight champion has campaigned for months to face Makhachev for his UFC welterweight belt, with Makhachev seemingly on the same page. Usman and Makhachev also share management, which further boosted rumors that the matchup could be made this year.
However, the UFC has yet to officially announce a challenger for Makhachev, who won the 170-pound title after a successful run as lightweight
champion, and Usman revealed his conversation with the UFC, specifically chief business officer Hunter Campbell, have been fruitless.
“I really don’t know,” Usman said on his Pound 4 Pound podcast when asked what’s next for him. “The Islam fight was obviously what I wanted and what I felt would have been great not just for me, not just for Islam, but would have been great for the company, would have been great for the world to see that.
“Listen, people count me out day in and day out. The one thing that I do or that I know for a fact I am is that I’m honest with my abilities. I’m honest with the people. When I come out here and I tell you I’m going to go out there and I’m going to do this or I’m going to do that, I honestly mean it. I’m not like some of these guys who go, ‘Yes, I’m going to kill this guy. He won’t last one round.’ And the fight is a boring three rounds. Or, ‘This guy, I’m going to finish him second round.’ And the fight’s a boring three rounds. I’m honest about that, so when I say I can still do this at that high level, I mean that. For some reason, we’ve had conversations, but Hunter Campbell feels differently and Hunter Campbell is like, ‘Maybe not,’ he wants to go a different way. We don’t know yet. They haven’t come out and said Islam is going to get this guy or Islam’s going with me, but it’s been a tumultuous back and forth with getting that done.”
Usman was victorious in his most recent fight, earning a decision win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta to earn his first win since November 2021. His previous reign as welterweight champion saw him successfully defend that belt five consecutive times before losing a pair of title fights to longtime rival Leon Edwards.
According to Usman, the UFC has presented other options besides Makhachev, including a fight with former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.
“Other things were presented to me, like potentially ‘DDP’ was presented to me or other guys,” Usman said. “Listen, there’s one thing about me, when they call and they say this guy or that guy or this guy, I don’t go, ‘Uh, maybe, maybe, maybe,’ no, I say yes.”
Usman added he could potentially move up to 185 pounds, something he’s done once in the UFC when he fought Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. That bout ended in a majority decision win for the future champion, but Usman was competitive throughout the contest after accepting the fight on short notice.
“This is the thing with me is it has to be meaningful,” Usman said. “At this point, it has to be meaningful. I’m not just here just to fight to fight. It has to be meaningful. If it gets me to the title that I want, that’s what I want.”
Usman acknowledged he’s not the only fighter currently in limbo. With the June 14 UFC White House lineup still yet to have any bouts finalized, it’s unclear what title fights and which marquee matchups are being saved for that historic event.
It’s a frustration that Usman believes is shared by fighters and fans.
“It’s not just me,” Usman said. “We don’t understand what’s going on right now. We don’t understand what’s going on with the White House. This is supposed to be the event of the year and we still don’t have a full card. The roster to where people can really say and build around. What’s going on there internally? What’s going on, Hunter Campbell? We just want to know. What’s going on?”
