Getty Conor McGregor walking out for his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather and Kamaru Usman at UFC 245.
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States and around the globe, uncertainty looms over many things, including the state of the UFC. The promotion postponed three events, and their next one, UFC 249, currently doesn’t have a venue to host it.
Another thing that remains unclear with the UFC is who the biggest star in MMA will fight next. Conor “Notorious” McGregor has been linked to multiple different opponents, including a certain welterweight champion. During a recent interview with TMZ, UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman talked about fighting the Irishman.
He said, “I’d be crazy if I said I didn’t want that fight because Conor is one of those guys that’s transcended the sport. There’s guys that are kind of like my level, your a champion, your known. But Conor has blown the roof off this sucker.”
Usman continued, “When he fights, people will pay attention. And of course, I think people would love to see me go in there and spank him any way that I want. So, that’s a fight that I always want. If Conor’s feeling froggy that fight could happen anytime.”
Follow the Heavy on UFC Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Usman is Currently Linked to Top Welterweight Contender Jorge Masvidal
There has been talk of McGregor fighting The Nigerian Nightmare for the welterweight belt, but that discussion seemed to fizzle out after UFC president Dana White announced that Usman would defend his belt against Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal.
During the same interview with TMZ, The Nigerian Nightmare said about Masvidal, “If I’m being honest, do I believe that he deserves the fight next? No, I don’t think that he deserves the fight. But at the same time, he’s got the hype right now.”
Gamebred is currently on a three-fight win streak, with all three victories coming by way of KO or TKO. During that stretch, he earned a knockout over Darren Till in Till’s home country, the fastest KO in UFC history by landing a savage flying knee on Ben Askren, as well as a dominate doctor’s stoppage win over Nate Diaz.
He won the “Baddest Motherf—er” Belt in his fight against Diaz, and combined with his all-time classic KO of Askren, Gambred’s star power grew immensely in 2019.
From a rankings standpoint, a fight between Usman and Gambred makes a lot of sense. Masvidal is currently ranked No. 3 in the division, and Usman has defeated the two men ranked above Gamebred, Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington.
Even though White revealed that the two men would fight during the UFC International Fight Week in July, the fight hasn’t been made official.
READ NEXT: Jorge Masvidal Shreds Kevin Lee for Continuing to Fight After Tapping Out