"Damn near impossible" - Kamaru Usman on why he cannot help fighters get better pay despite being the P4P king

Kamaru Usman recently weighed in on the idea of having a union for UFC fighters to battle for better fighter pay and healthcare, similar to a body like the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). According to the UFC pound-for-pound king, it is hard to bring athletes under one banner in individual sports.

Usman took the example of a basketball team, noting that a match would have to be canceled if the whole team protested. However, in the UFC, a horde of ranked fighters are willing to step in for a fighter who protests against the promotion. The UFC welterweight champion said during a recent episode of I Am Athlete:

"It's a lot harder to be able to organize something like that when it's an individual sport... A basketball team could say, 'Yo, six of us ain't playing on that.' They have to shut the game down."

He added:

"We can't do that because when you say, 'You know what, I wanna be this guy, I wanna be the leader, you stand up.' Guess what? It's number two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten-ranked that's willing to jump in and take your spot. Because they know they's gonna get more chips than you than they getting right now. So that right there makes it almost damn near impossible to be able to stand up and accomplish that."

Watch episode 5 of I Am Athlete below:

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Kamaru Usman credits manager for improved relationship with Dana White

Kamaru Usman has gradually built himself up from being deemed a boring fighter to being considered one of the biggest draws in the sport today. Usman has also come a long way from earning a base salary of $10,000 for the TUF 21 finale to now earning a share of UFC pay-per-view points.

This financial success has also improved Usman's relationship with UFC president Dana White. According to 'The Nigerian Nightmare', his manager Ali Abdelaziz is to be credited for improved relations with White.

Usman admittedly has not always been on such good terms with the UFC president. The UFC welterweight champion further said on I Am Athlete:

"I have a good manager, Ali Abdelaziz, shoutout to him. He was able to steal [a deal].' Because I didn't like Dana for a long time... But then you get to a certain point like where I am now to where now it's more of a partnership."