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Kenny Florian recently shared his take on a potential light heavyweight showdown between Kamaru Usman and Jan Blachowicz.
During an episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast, 'KenFlo' discussed the recent backstage staredown between Blachowicz and 'The Nigerian Nightmare' at UFC 276. Florian revealed the UFC welterweight champion is the only fighter he feels comfortable betting on to move up a division and go on to capture the title:
"He's the only guy that I would feel comfortable putting 20 Gs on to go up a weight class and fight for the belt and win. That's the dude right there. And the fact that he can go up all the way to 205 and be successful against high-level guys, it says a lot and I believe that."
Catch Kenny Florian's comments here:
Usman has previously discussed a potential move up to light heavyweight, skipping the 185lbs division. That was when Jan Blachowicz was still the champion in the 205-pound division.
However, the Polish fighter lost the title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 268. The Brazilian recently dropped the belt to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275.
Kamaru Usman still eyeing a light heavyweight move
After Kamaru Usman and Jan Blachowicz posed for a staredown at UFC 276 backstage, the Polish fighter took to social media to share the picture. He expressed interest in meeting 'The Nigerian Nightmare' inside the octagon.
Usman is also considering a move to 205lbs and is eyeing double-champ status. Speaking at the UFC 278 press conference, the UFC welterweight king reiterated his desire to capture light heavyweight gold:
"I’m still thinking about [skipping middleweight] and going to get that light heavyweight title, too. I just think I can beat some of those guys. Some! Before you all kill me, I said some. There are some killers in that division and I definitely respect that, but I think those guys who were at the top, there was a couple of guys out there that I would probably take out."
Watch Kamaru Usman discuss a potential move to light heavyweight below:
While a move to 205 pounds could be on the cards for Usman, the champion is currently gearing up to defend his title against Leon Edwards. The pair are set to collide in a rematch at UFC 278 on August 20.
