Islam Makhachev is a former UFC lightweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC India
On a collision course to face Dricus Du Plessis in two weeks, Kamaru Usman doesn't forget that he could be in a completely different fight. During the latest edition of the 'Pound 4 Pound' podcast this Thursday (2), the Nigerian Nightmare revealed that he had conversations to be the first challenger for Islam Makhachev 's belt in the welterweight division (up to 77,1 kg), a category in which he reigned for years.
According to the fighter, negotiations have been very slow, which he attributes to parallel talks for a fight between Makhachev and Topuria, mainly due to the UFC's proximity to the White House. In this context, he saw an opportunity to move up in weight to face Dricus Du Plessis.
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“We all know what fight I wanted (against Islam), I wanted that fight. I think there was just a lot of back and forth happening and now we hear all these stories that potentially they were trying to make Ilia vs Islam, and all that stuff, and I wanted the fight against Islam. So all that behind-the-scenes stuff kind of dragged it out and dragged it out. Then DDP was mentioned… and I just needed something that would get me to the title,” he stated.
👀🏆 Kamaru Usman reveals he tried to get the Islam Makhachev fight for a while, but believes negotiations between Topuria and Makhachev slowed things down
He eventually took the Du Plessis fight as he believes it gets him towards a title
“We all know the fight that I wanted… pic.twitter.com/6ySv5QxFHZ
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) July 2, 2026
The Russian himself made it clear that he was interested in the fight shortly after defeating Jack Della Maddalena last November. Because both fighters are managed by Ali Abdelaziz, the fight became a real possibility, but it ultimately didn't happen.
Instead of Makhachev, Usman will be aiming for the double championship.
K. Usman is a former welterweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Now, back competing regularly at 84 kg, the Nigerian Nightmare has made it clear that his dream is to become another fighter to win titles in two different weight classes despite his age and high mileage. Therefore, the fight against the South African is an opportunity to establish himself as one of the division's strongest contenders.
“There’s still one club I’m not yet a part of. I want to be in every club in this sport. It’s something I’m still pursuing. It’s still something that really appeals to me in this sport, so I’m going to pursue it,” declared Usman, who is 39 years old.
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