Kamaru Usman still believes that when he was the welterweight champ, he could’ve jumped up two weight classes to light heavyweight and taken down the then-champion. Now, he could have the opportunity to do it! Continue reading to find out how!
A few years back, people thought Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was nuts when he jokingly squared off with then-light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz backstage at a UFC event and hinted at jumping up 35 pounds.
It never happened, and both guys eventually lost their belts. Usman recently fought at middleweight for the first time, narrowly losing to Khamzat Chimaev in October. Meanwhile, Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) is recovering from multiple surgeries and hopes to get back in the octagon this year. Even though the Usman vs. Blachowicz matchup seems like a missed opportunity, it might still happen. On a recent episode of his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo, former UFC champ Usman explained why he was so confident in calling out Blachowicz.
Now, Usman reflects on his face-off with Jan Blachowicz and still thinks the matchup would have been in his favor.
Usman mentioned that he wouldn’t have aimed for the 205 division if he didn’t believe the matchup favored him and he could pull it off. He explained that while everyone has power at the beginning of a fight, once you grab their leg and take them down, the fight changes completely. He pointed out that this is exactly what he planned to do, similar to what Glover Teixeira did to Blachowicz.
Blachowicz, never one to shy away from a challenge, posted on social media on Saturday letting Usman know that if he’s still up for it, the door is open for their fight.
If the fight happens all eyes will be on Usman as he would try to prove his claims. Who do you think will dominate in this potential face-off? Let us know in the comments!
