Kamaru Usman achieved a lot on Saturday night at UFC 258. He won his 13th UFC welterweight fight, breaking Georges St-Pierre’s record for most wins in a row at 170. He also tied the big Khabib Nurmagomedov for the second most wins in a row around a Start UFC career. And he now has three wins in addition to drawing Anderson Silva’s record of 16 in a row.
Oh, and that was his 18th win, too. And guess what? It was the most impressive of the 18 wins.
No, really.
He just stops a burning Gilbert Burns. He took the best shot from Burns in the first round, bounced back and then completed it via TKO in the third round. He beat Burns by strikes, which according to Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill was +240.
His wrestling has always been there, and now the strike is coming together as well. Coach Trevor Wittman did it again.
Yet, after the struggle to repeat a bit of respect ‘on his name, Usman kept repeating. He said this several times in the cage and during his post-fight interview.
To uninitiated, it may sound strange to 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 in the UFC – it seems like his name never comes up right away. It’s usually Khabib, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes … and then Usman might be discussed. But he is never mentioned among the very best.
This is wrong, and it needs to change.
Usman is currently one of the best athletes in the UFC. He is a top-for-pound fighter. He may not get the attention others get because his style during this dominant run was not very fan friendly. However, a few more victories like this will change that.
One thing he is not, however, is in any case the greatest welterweight ever. Yes, I know he just beat one GSP record, but he’s going to have to pass – or at least get closer to – another to be in that conversation: successful title defense. It was Usman’s fourth successful title defense. GSP has 11. There is a big difference.
This is not to diminish Usman, and it should not be taken that way. He’s in Matt Hughes / Pat Miletich area now. This is valued company. But he is not the welterweight BOOK. At least not yet.
He does have it in common with a leading GSP, although he runs out of new opponents. And fast. He has wins over Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, Leon Edwards (although Usman and Edwards were the fighters they are today) and now Burns, to name just a few.
I was curious to see if he would call someone to his victory or just let the division play. And should you not know it, he exclaims his old enemy Masvidal.
What a gift it was to the BMF champion. I felt like I could celebrate Masvidal thousands of miles away in South Florida.
You see, Masvidal is not really tackling Covington next. He likes him so much that he would rather not pay attention to him, I am told. Of course he would do it, but it’s not his first choice. However, he would love to fight Usman for the title again, and does so this time with a full camp under his belt, as opposed to the one-week battle he agreed to in July.
The UFC has been trying for weeks now to discuss Masvidal vs Covington. The matchmakers even discussed being the new coaches on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, sources say. The deal is just not finished. That’s why Dana White said Friday he will consider next time Covington vs. To discuss Edwards. There was actually no serious talk of the fight. His remark was more negotiation gimmick, at least for now, than reality.
You can now bet that Masvidal will use this call to pursue the title. In fact, just a moment after Usman’s comments, Mvidi Kawa, co-manager of Masvidal, threw out the idea that Usman and Masvidal should serve as TUF coaches – and then of course fight again.
Let’s do it. TUF. Masvidal vs usman. We accept.
– malki kawa (@malkikawa) 14 February 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 exclamation point by promising a title header 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 anyway.
Or the UFC can only take back the fight against Masvidal. We all wanted to see this for months last year before failed negotiations led to the advancement of the discussion of Usman vs. Burns. Then Burns tested positive for COVID-19, and well, you know how the rest went. On top of that, the UFC does need a great TUF coach.
For now, though, Usman should feel pretty good about himself. He made history. He is now in conversation with some legends.
And he does not have to worry that someone will soon put respect on his name.