March 19, (THEWILL) – Conor McGregor wants to fight Kamarudeen “Kamaru” Usman for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight belt next, upon his return to competitive action.
McGregor revealed his desire to meet Usman in an interview on his MacLife YouTube channel: “Myself versus Usman for the 170-pound title in my comeback fight is the one I’m eyeballing at the minute. Why cut the weight? I’ve already won the 155-pound title.
“I got myself to a lightweight frame, but you know, I’m big now. I feel big. I feel strong. I feel healthy. I’ve got good energy. I’m coming back from a gruesome injury. I don’t want to be depleting myself. There should be no need to deplete myself.”
McGregor has not fought since losing to Dustin Poirier by doctor stoppage at UFC 264 in July, when he shattered his tibia and fibula in his left leg. The Irishman indicated “late summer” as a possible return date, although he did not commit to it.
The fighter he is “eyeballing”, the 34-year-old Nigerian Nightmare Usman, has a 20-1 career record and has won 19 consecutive fights, making him the most dominant active fighter in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). This includes a 15-0 UFC record to his credit.
In the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, Usman is ranked first. Still, McGregor is an all-time UFC great, who has held the featherweight and lightweight crowns, only to find himself struggling recently.
The 33-year-old Irishman has dropped to 22-6 after losing three of his last four fights and four of his last seven, including two to Poirier, one to Khabib Nurmagomedov, and one to Nate Diaz.
Meanwhile, throughout the last few years, Usman has defeated Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, Gilbert Burns, and Tyron Woodley, among others.
Despite his recent poor performance, McGregor believes he has a chance to defeat Usman: “I feel confident against Usman — a jab-happy, sloppy, orthodox wrestler with no submissions whatsoever. What’s he going to do? Where’s the danger here? I don’t see danger.
“… No one has ever obtained three titles in three divisions like I will do if we make this fight.”
Usman is also recovering after a hand injury he sustained during his November UFC 268 victory against Covington forced him to do surgery. He plans to return this summer.
Should their fight happen, there are few UFC fights that have the potential to match Usman versus McGregor when it comes to star power.
However, based on McGregor’s recent performance, it is uncertain whether UFC President Dana White would be willing to put him in such a high-profile fight so soon after recovering from an injury.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
