Kamaru Usman’s hoped-for showdown with welterweight champion Islam Makhachev may not materialize at least not next. The former 170-pound king says discussions with the UFC have shifted away from the Makhachev bout he pitched and toward other potential opponents, including former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.
Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) recently returned to the win column by snapping Joaquin Buckley’s streak in June, reaffirming his belief that he can still compete at the highest level. On his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman made it clear: “The Islam fight was obviously what I wanted… It would’ve been great for me, great for Islam, great for the company.