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Kamaru Usman has shared his opinion that the UFC avoided matching him up against Khamzat Chimaev earlier in Chimaev's career. Usman believes this was due to fears that he would have been the first to defeat Chimaev, potentially damaging his undefeated reputation, which was crucial to his image.
He shared his thoughts on the latest episode of his Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry podcast, where he was joined by legendary former welterweight and middleweight champion, Georges St-Pierre. In fact, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' claimed to have requested the fight at one point, but was turned down by the UFC.
"They built him up like he's the biggest, scariest guy in the division, the wolf and whatnot. And I was in a place where I just... Earlier, I asked for the fight. I went to Dana and Hunter, I sat with them in the office and I said, 'Hey, I want that guy.' And they were like, 'It doesn't make sense for us.'
"And I understand their perspective. I understood at the time, because he's a young star that you're building. I go in and cut that train off, it's not good for business."
Check out Kamaru Usman talk about asking for a Khamzat Chimaev fight earlier (27:50):
Usman makes it a point to say that he requested a fight with Chimaev at UFC 294 months prior, which matches several reports at the time that suggested it as a matchup in the works. Ultimately, after Paulo Costa withdrew from his bout with 'Borz,' the promotion turned to Usman as a last-minute replacement.
The former welterweight champion stepped in in just 11 days and forced a highly competitive fight out of Chimaev, after losing round one in lopsided fashion. Toward the end, many fans felt that Usman had either won a split-decision or done enough to force a draw.
The judges, however, disagreed, handing 'Borz' a majority decision win, which was a widely criticized move on social media.
After fighting Khamzat Chimaev, Kamaru Usman is on the first losing streak of his career
While Kamaru Usman was once one of the most dominant fighters on the UFC roster, reigning at the top of the welterweight division, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has since fallen on hard times. His recent majority decision loss to Kamaru Usman marked his third consecutive defeat, placing him in his first-ever losing streak.
Prior to that, he suffered back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards, with the second being another majority decision loss, and the first being a list-minute knockout at UFC 278. It has etched itself into the history books as one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history.
