Following his UFC Chile victory, Kamaru Usman has his sights set on gold.
Usman went one-on-one with Demian Maia last night (May 19) inside Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. The bout headlined UFC Chile. Usman turned in a one-sided performance against Maia.
Usman has made it clear that he believes fighters ducking him. On May 27, Stephen Thompson and Darren Till are set to throw down in the main event of UFC Liverpool. Many are already calling for Usman to face the winner of that bout.
On June 9, Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington will do battle for the interim welterweight title. The winner will go on to meet Tyron Woodley in a championship unification bout. Usman isn’t impressed with dos Anjos or Covington (via MMAJunkie.com):
“Let’s be honest: Nobody in my division wants to fight me because I’m the hardest fight for anybody. This fight right here, this was a fight that (UFC President) Dana White wanted. He wanted to test me against the most dangerous guy in the division. That was the most dangerous guy in the division. The champion is easier for me to fight. And you’ve got these other two bums that are fighting for an interim title (Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington, who meet June 9 at UFC 225. Those guys are bums. Those guys are easier for me to fight. This was the hardest fight in the division. And Dana wanted the fight; he got the fight. Now it’s time to fight somebody.”
Usman is currently riding a 12-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a loss since May 2013. It was the only defeat in “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” professional mixed martial arts career. Having been ranked number seven before his bout with Maia, Usman is expected to jump up at least two spots.
Is Kamaru Usman ready for a title shot or does he need one more fight?
