Kamaru Usman insists he’s the most deserving welterweight contender.
As the former champion continues to campaign for a shot at UFC welterweight champ Islam Makhachev, other top contenders have made their case, too. Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) snapped his three-fight losing skid with a win over Joaquin Buckley, but argues his accolades make him a legacy fight for Makhachev.
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At UFC 322, Carlos Prates knocked out Leon Edwards, and Michael Morales took out Sean Brady. A week later at UFC Fight Night 265, Ian Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) defeated ex-champ Belal Muhammad. Outside of himself, one contender stands out for Usman.
“Who else would be worthy? I like a lot of these guys,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “I’m fans of them. I would say right now, for me, I would say Prates. I still think maybe another fight because I feel like he’s done so much in such a short time. It wasn’t enough to let that ripple effect really touch the masses all over the world, but I would say Carlos Prates. Right now, I like everything I’m seeing from him.
“His willingness, his excitement to go out there and compete and fight. Even if he loses, it’s like, ‘OK, I have to fix that, and I’ll come back.’ That’s what I love to see, and I think that’s what Dana (White), and the company, and Hunter (Campbell), and these guys love, is guys like that. So I love Prates. Morales, too, is also impressive. No hate on these guys. I love what these guys are doing. I’m a fan of these guys, and I’m going to continue to be a fan of these guys unless they give me a reason not to be.”
Usman ranks Machado Garry behind the two rising welterweights.
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“Ian’s doing work, too, but you can’t literally sit here and say he’s done more work than what Prates has just done,” Usman said. “You can’t sit here and say he’s done more work than what Morales has done. He’s done good work, too.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kamaru Usman shuts down talk of Ian Machado Garry title shot
