Kamaru Usman achieved many things Saturday night in UFC 258. He won his 13th consecutive UFC welterweight bout, beating the record of Georges St-Pierre in most consecutive wins at 170. He also tied the great Khabib Nurmagomedov for the second win in a row to start a UFC race. And he is now three wins away from tying Anderson Silva’s record of 16 straight.
Oh, and that was his 18th overall victory. And guess what? This was the most impressive of those 18 victories.
No, really.
Just stopped a Gilbert Burns, very hot. He made Burns ’best shot in the first round, bounced and then finished it off with TKO in the third round. He beat Burns by attacks, which, according to William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook, was priced at +240.
His struggle has always been there, and now the strike also joins. Coach Trevor Wittman has done it again.
Still, Usman repeated after the fight to “respect” his name. He said this several times both in the cage and during his post-fight interview.
For the uninitiated, it may seem strange for a guy with his resume to ask for respect, but he has a point. When we talk about the faces of the UFC, or even the best of the UFC, their name never pops up right away. They’re usually Khabib, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes … and maybe they’re talking about Usman. But he has never mentioned it among the best.
This is wrong and needs to change.
Usman is one of the best UFC athletes right now. He’s a pound-for-pound fighter. He may not get the attention of others because his style during this dominant career has not been very kind to fans. Still, a few more wins like this will change that.
Something that is not the case, although – at least not yet – it is the largest welterweight in history. Yes, I know you just broke a GSP record, but you will have to beat (or at least get close) to another to be in that conversation: the successful defenses of the title. This was Usman’s fourth title defense. GSP had 11. There is a big difference.
This does not diminish Usman and should not be taken that way. It is now in the territory of Matt Hughes / Pat Miletich. It is a beloved company. But it’s not the welterweight goat. Not yet, at least.
However, it has this in common with a main GSP: it is ending up with new opponents. And fast. He has beaten Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, Leon Edwards (though before Usman and Edwards were the fighters they are today) and now Burns, just to name a few.
He was curious to see if he would call anyone after his win or just let the division play. And you wouldn’t know it, called his old enemy Masvidal.
What a gift it was for the BMF champion. I seemed to hear Masvidal celebrating thousands of miles away in South Florida.
You see, Masvidal isn’t really enjoying fighting Covington after all. I dislike him so much that he prefers not to pay any attention to them, they tell me. Sure, he would, but it’s not his first choice. However, he would love to fight Usman again for the title, and this time with a full camp under his belt, unlike the fight with a week’s notice he agreed to return in July.
The UFC has been trying for weeks to book Masvidal against Covington. They even discussed having them as new coaches for “The Ultimate Fighter,” according to sources. The deal has not just been made. That’s why Dana White said Friday she would consider booking Covington against Edwards next. In fact, there has been no serious talk of doing this fight. His comment was more of a negotiation strategy, at least for now, than reality.
You can now bet that Masvidal will use this prominent text to drive the title. In fact, just minutes after Usman’s comments, Masvidal’s co-manager Malki Kawa launched the idea that Usman and Masvidal would serve as TUF coaches, and then fight back then, of course.
Let’s do it. TUF. Masvidal vs usman. We accept.
– malki kawa (@malkikawa) February 14, 2021
Usman-Masvidal 2? Edwards-Covington? Not a bad plan B. Will the UFC bite?
I can also see the UFC trying to take advantage of the featured text by promising a title to the Covington-Masvidal winner. Two for the price of one. I mean, it’s not like Usman turns around and fights in a couple of months anyway.
Or the UFC can only resume the fight against Masvidal. We all wanted to see it for months of last year before the failed negotiations led to the promotion of booking Usman against Burns. Then Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and, well, you know how the rest went. In addition, the UFC needs some well-known TUF coaches.
For now, though, Usman should feel pretty good about himself. He made history. He is now in conversation with some legends.
And you don’t have to worry about anyone not respecting your name soon.