- UFC The only defeat of Islam Makhachev 10 years ago that could have changed the history of his career
- UFC The reason Jack Della Maddalena doesn't want to have surgery on his crooked nose
Although there is still no date for Kamaru Usman's return to the octagon, the fighter visualizes the path he wants to take to retire. At 38 years of age, he knows that the end is near. He wants to go out with a bang, which is why he has set himself an ambitious but achievable goal.
After defeating Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision in June, the Nigerian is excited about the idea of fighting for the welterweight title and wearing it as champion. He longs to feel that scepter again as a monarch, a distinction in his power for three and a half years.
The perfect story would be to go and get this title, then go and get the other title
Not satisfied with the welterweight crown, Usman wants one more belt. And that is the middleweight belt held by Khamzat Chimaev, a rival whom Kamaru knows very well, because it was he who inflicted one of the four defeats of his career. It was a very close and hard-fought fight that the African accepted with little time to train in a better way.
I think that's an intriguing fight. It's a compelling fight that everyone would want to see with a full training camp to go out and challenge him
Saying goodbye to his active career as an MMA fighter excites him. Not because he will miss the fights, but because it allows him to prepare for a major challenge: to retire as a double champion.
And, you know, being a two-division champion. That's the only thing that's not on the resume: being a two-division champion. Go out and get that. And at that point, look back and say, 'Oh, what else is there to do?'
Keep an eye on the Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev fight
The Nigerian is not missing anything. He is aware of the title fight between champion Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, who vacated his lightweight belt to seek gold in the 170-pound division.
I think it's for anyone, but I do think Islam has the advantage in the fight when the fight goes to the ground. I think he's just done it for longer. We'll see what happens. But of course, I'm looking to get in there and potentially test myself against the winner.
Usman's interest lies in challenging the winner. He also demonstrates how observant he is by focusing on Makhachev's main tool: ground fighting. If Islam wins, and if a fight with him materializes, Kamaru would have to train with strategies that could turn the Russian's style around.