As per Kamaru Usman, Hunter Campbell does not want him to fight Islam Makhachev next.
Makhachev, a former UFC lightweight champion, the reigning welterweight kingpin and pound-for-pound king, wanted to make the first defense of his 170-pound championship opposite Usman.
Both fighters had shown interest in the matchup, and Makhachev even confessed that he considers the 38-year-old to be his hardest challenge at 170-pounds.
However, it appears that “The Nigerian Nightmare,” who has won just one of his last four fights, is unlikely to receive a title shot despite his legacy and records as a former UFC champion.
Kamaru Usman claims Hunter Campbell isn’t in favor of the Islam Makhachev fight
On Pound 4 Pound, Kamaru Usman opined that a fight against Islam Makhachev would have been great for both fighters and also for the promotion.
The Islam fight was obviously what I wanted and what I felt would have been great, not just for me, not just for Islam, but it would have been great for the company. Would have been great for the world to see that.”
Next, “The Nigerian Nightmare” added that Hunter Campbell has not seconded the idea:
We’ve had conversations, but Hunter Campbell feels differently. Hunter Campbell is like, ‘Ah, maybe not.’ He wants to go a different route.”
On the show, Usman also noted that it has not been confirmed who Makhachev will fight next, but his comments seemingly suggest that the UFC brass are unlikely to select him as the next title challenger.
They haven’t come out and said, ‘Okay, Islam is going to get this guy,’ or Islam is going with me. But it has been a tumultuous back and forth with getting that done.”
Check out Kamaru Usman’s comments below:
Islam Makhachev is expected to enter the octagon after Ramadan and will most likely face Ian Machado Garry next, as per insider info from multiple sources.
Usman, on the other hand, on Pound 4 Pound, teased a move up to middleweight and revealed that he was offered a fight against former UFC 185-pound champion Dricus du Plessis, but he’s only taking “meaningful” matchups at this stage of his career. Read more about that by clicking on this link.
