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Kamaru Usman accomplished a lot on Saturday night at UFC 258. He won his 13th straight fight against the UFC welterweight, which broke Georges St-Pierre’s record for most consecutive wins at 170. He also tied the great Khabib Nurmagomedov for the second-most wins in a row to start a career in the UFC. And he’s now three wins away from leveling Anderson Silva’s record of 16 in a row.
Oh, and that was also his 18th victory overall. And guess what? It was the most impressive of those 18 wins.
No, really.
He just stopped a hot Gilbert Burns. He took Burns’ best shot in the first round, rebounded and then finished it via TKO in the third round. He beat Burns via strikes, which William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook said was priced at +240.
His fight has always been there, and now the strikes are getting closer too. Coach Trevor Wittman has done it again.
Still, Usman kept repeating after the fight to “put a little respect” on his name. He said it several times in the cage and during his post-fight interview.
To the uninitiated it might seem weird for a guy with his CV to ask for respect, but he’s right. When we talk about the faces of the UFC – or even the best in the UFC – his name never seems to pop up right away. Usually it’s Khabib, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes … and then maybe Usman is discussed. But he was never mentioned among the best.
This is wrong and it must change.
Usman is currently one of the top athletes in the UFC. He’s a top-notch fighter, pound for pound. He may not attract the attention of others because his style during this dominant race hasn’t been very fan-friendly. However, a few more wins like this will change that.
One thing he isn’t, however – at least not yet – is the greatest welterweight of all time. Yes, I know he just broke a GSP record, but he’ll have to beat – or at least come close to – another to be in this conversation: successful title defenses. It was Usman’s fourth successful title defense. GSP had 11. There is a huge difference.
It is not to diminish Usman and it should not be taken that way. He’s now in Matt Hughes / Pat Miletich territory. It is an esteemed company. But that’s not the welterweight GOAT. At least not yet.
However, it has this in common with a top-notch GSP: it lacks new opponents. And quick. He has had victories over Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, Leon Edwards (although before Usman and Edwards were the fighters they are today) and now Burns, to name a few.
I was curious to see if he would call someone after his win or if he just let the division play out. And you wouldn’t know, he called his old nemesis Masvidal.
What a gift for the BMF champion. I felt like I could hear Masvidal celebrating thousands of miles in South Florida.
See, Masvidal doesn’t really want to fight Covington next. He doesn’t like her so much that he prefers not to pay her attention, I am told. Sure, he would, but it’s not his first choice. He would, however, love to fight Usman for the title again, and this time to do so with a full camp under his belt, unlike the weeklong fight he agreed to support in July.
The UFC has been trying to book Masvidal against Covington for weeks now. The matchmakers even discussed having them as new trainers on “The Ultimate Fighter,” according to sources. The deal just doesn’t happen. That’s why Dana White said on Friday he would consider booking Covington against Edwards next. In fact, there were no serious discussions about the organization of this fight. His comment was more of a bargaining ploy, at least for the moment, than reality.
Now you can bet Masvidal will use this legend to push for the title. In fact, moments after Usman’s comments, Masvidal co-manager Malki Kawa dismissed the idea of Usman and Masvidal as TUF coaches – and then fight afterwards, of course.
Let’s do it. TUFF. Masvidal versus 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 capitalize on the legend by pledging a title to the Covington-Masvidal winner. Two for the price of one. I mean, it’s not like Usman is going to turn around and fight in a few months anyway.
Or the UFC can just resume the fight against Masvidal. We all wanted to see it for months last year before the failed negotiations led to the promotion of Usman’s reservation against Burns. Then Burns tested positive for COVID-19, and you know how the rest of it turned out. In addition, the UFC needs renowned TUF coaches.
For now, however, Usman should be feeling pretty good about himself. He made history. He is now in conversation with some legends.
And he doesn’t have to worry about anyone giving his name any respect anytime soon.
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