Kamaru Usman achieved a lot on Saturday night at UFC 258. He won his 13th consecutive UFC welterweight bout, breaking Georges St-Pierre’s record for the most consecutive wins of 170. lined up to start a UFC career. And he’s now three wins away from Anderson Silva’s 16 straight tie draw.
Oh, and that was his 18th victory in the overall standings too. Guess what? That was the most impressive of those 18 wins.
No, really
He just stopped a red-hot Gilbert Burns. He took Burns’ best shot in the first round, rebounded and then finished it off via TKO in the third round. He defeated Burns in strikes, priced at +240, according to William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook.
His wrestling has always been there, and now the hitting also comes together. Coach Trevor Wittman has done it again.
Still, Usman kept repeating after the fight to show “some respect” to his name. He said it several times, both in the cage and during his post-fight interview.
To the uninitiated, it may sound strange for a guy with his resume asking for respect, but he has a point. When we talk about the faces of the UFC – or even the best in the UFC – his name never seems to come up right away. It’s usually Khabib, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes … and then maybe Usman is being discussed. But he is never listed as one of the very best.
That is wrong, and it must change.
Usman is one of the best athletes in the UFC right now. He’s a pound-for-pound fighter. He may not get the attention others are getting because his style was not very fan-friendly during this dominant run. However, a few extra wins like this one will change that.
One thing he’s not, however – at least not yet – is the greatest welterweight ever. Yes, I know he just beat one GSP record, but he’s going to have to beat another – or at least get closer – to join that conversation: successful title defenses. This was Usman’s fourth successful title defense. GSP had 11. There is a huge difference.
That is not to diminish Usman and it should not be understood that way. He’s now in Matt Hughes / Pat Miletich’s territory. That is a valued company. But he’s not the welterweight GOAT. At least not yet.
However, he has this in common with a first-class SAP: he has no new opponents. And fast. He’s won wins from Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, Leon Edwards (albeit before Usman and Edwards were the fighters they are today) and now Burns, just to name a few.
I was curious if he would call out someone after his win or the division just let itself play. And wouldn’t you know, he called his old enemy Masvidal.
What a gift that was for the BMF champion. I felt like I could hear Masvidal celebrating thousands of miles away in South Florida.
You see, Masvidal doesn’t really chew the bit to then fight Covington. He hates him so much that he’d rather not give him any attention, I’ve heard. Of course he would, but it’s not his first choice. However, he’d love to fight Usman for the title again, and this time with a full camp under his belt, unlike the week-long fight he’d arranged in July.
The UFC has been trying Masvidal vs. Covington. The matchmakers even discussed being the new coaches of “The Ultimate Fighter,” sources say. The deal is just not going to be finalized. That’s why Dana White said on Friday that he would consider taking Covington vs. Edwards. There is actually no serious conversation about making that fight. His comment was, at least for now, more of a negotiation trick than reality.
You can now bet that Masvidal will use this callout to push for the title shot. In fact, just after Usman’s comments, Masvidal’s co-manager Malki Kawa threw out the idea that Usman and Masvidal would serve as TUF coaches – and of course fight afterwards.
Let’s do it. TUF. Masvidal vs usman. We accept.
– malki kawa (@malkikawa) February 14, 2021
Usman-Masvidal 2? Edwards-Covington? Not a bad plan B. Will the UFC bite?
I also see the UFC trying to take advantage of the call-out by promising the Covington-Masvidal winner a title. Two for the price of one. I mean, it’s not like Usman will turn and fight in a few months.
Or the UFC can simply reverse the fight against Masvidal. We all wanted to see it for months before failed negotiations led to the promotion to Usman vs. Burns. Then Burns tested positive for COVID-19, and, well, you know how the rest fared. In addition, the UFC needs a number of well-known TUF coaches.
But for now, Usman should feel pretty good about himself. He wrote history. He is now talking to some legends.
And he doesn’t have to worry about someone not respecting his name anytime soon.