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Kamaru Usman is the UFC's pound-for-pound best fighter. Scheduled to face Leon Edwards this Saturday at UFC 278, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' will be hoping to successfully defend his UFC welterweight championship for the sixth time. In doing so, he'll be one step closer to reaching the record of nine title defenses currently held by MMA great Georges St-Pierre.
In the welterweight division of the UFC and all other MMA promotions, the Canadian's shadow looms large. He is widely regarded as the greatest welterweight in the history of the sport. Many even hold him as the greatest mixed martial artist in history. While St-Pierre's legacy can never be dismissed as anything but Hall of Fame-worthy, other welterweights have emerged to challenge him for the throne of all-time greatness.
Tyron Woodley made a valiant attempt but ultimately failed. The man who succeeded him, however, not only surpassed Woodley himself, but perhaps might even do so to 'GSP'. Thus, this list details five reasons why Kamaru Usman might soon surpass Georges St-Pierre.
#5. Kamaru Usman has the most consecutive wins in UFC welterweight history
The reigning UFC welterweight kingpin is on a historic run in the division over which he rules. Kamaru Usman has, thus far, 15 consecutive wins in the 170 lbs weight class. Undefeated in the UFC, Usman made his promotional debut in The Ultimate Fighter 21 finale, winning the tournament before embarking on a run that many will struggle to match after his career is over.
While the retired Georges St-Pierre has had an incredible run of consecutive victories himself, it is 3 fights short of the 15-fight win streak that 'The Nigerian Nightmare' will look to extend after he beats Leon Edwards at UFC 278. In this regard, Kamaru Usman is the Canadian's superior, having never tasted defeat in the UFC welterweight division.
#4. Kamaru Usman's stylistic transition
Prior to the Canadian's shocking matchup with Matt Serra at UFC 83, Georges St-Pierre was a consistent finisher inside the octagon. He was the owner of a 13-1 record, with only 2 of his wins coming by way of decision. However, upon suffering a knockout loss that no one could have predicted, 'GSP' underwent a stylistic change as a fighter. On the wrong end of one of the greatest upsets in UFC history, St-Pierre became a far more conservative fighter.
After fighting his way back to a title fight, the Canadian righted the wrong of his defeat to Serra by recapturing his welterweight title from his rival. St-Pierre would go on to fight 9 more times in the weight class, with 8 of his wins being decisions.
Kamaru Usman, by contrast, is the opposite. While the Nigerian was initially conservative, he too underwent a stylistic change. Instead of growing even more conservative, he became a finisher by knocking out opponents in brutal fashion en route to becoming the only fighter to KO/TKO Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal in UFC history. He has punctuated his wins with a level of finality that 'GSP' lacked in the second half of his career, all while edging towards the Canadian's title defense record.
#3. Kamaru Usman is the UFC's pound-for-pound best, 'GSP' never was
The reigning welterweight champion sits atop the MMA mountain as the best pound-for-pound fighter according to the UFC rankings. While St-Pierre is recognized as one of the greatest fighters of all time, he was never heralded as the No.1 pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Historically, the Canadian has always been outranked by other mixed martial artists such as Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, Anderson Silva and Jon Jones.
Kamaru Usman, however, has been recognized as the UFC's pound-for-pound best fighter in the last two years. While 'GSP' was eclipsed by other fighters during his prime, Usman has been eclipsed by no one as 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is considered to be comfortably ahead of almost every single active UFC fighter, with only the current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski posing something of a threat to his ranking.
Thus, the longer Usman sits on the pound-for-pound throne, the stronger his legacy will be in comparison to 'GSP's'.
#2. Kamaru Usman has no asterisk
Despite Colby Covington's claims that he won both fights against his Nigerian rival, most MMA media members, analysts and even fans agree that Kamaru Usman did enough to defeat 'Chaos' in both their encounters. The first affair resulted in Usman breaking Covington's jaw and dropping him twice, with the second knockdown culminating in a TKO.
Their rematch followed a similar format, with Usman dropping Covington multiple times while recording an even more dominant first half of the bout than their previous outing. Both fights are the most hotly contested of Usman's careers, yet they remain definitive wins for the Nigerian. St-Pierre, on the other hand, did not convincingly beat Johny Hendricks in their UFC 167 matchup.
Many have cast doubt over the legitimacy of St-Pierre's win over Hendricks, least of all due to the Canadian's immediate decision to vacate the belt and embark on a sabatical, never rematching Hendricks. The same cannot be said for Kamaru Usman.
#1. Kamaru Usman is aiming higher
This year, Kamaru Usman stunned the MMA world by revealing his very real intention to move up in weight in pursuit of a second championship belt. Usman, however, made no mention of capturing UFC middleweight gold. Instead, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has opted to bypass the 185 lbs division altogether and take aim at the light heavyweight division, where the reigning champion is a monstrously powerful striker in his physical prime.
The goal is admirable and regarded by many as impossible. Georges St-Pierre never possessed Usman's daring, having spent a large portion of his career dismissing potential matchups with the then reigning middleweight champion Anderson Silva due to the size difference between them, before returning to claim middleweight gold against a one-eyed, past-his-prime Michael Bisping.
Whether Usman succeeds with his aspirations to capture a light heavyweight title remains to be seen. However, from his statements alone, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is daring to be great in a way that 'GSP' never had.
