Ex-UFC Champ Kamaru Usman Name-Drops Shavkat Rakhmonov and 3 More Big Names as Possible Next Opponents

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has been out of action since taking a short notice fight against Khamzat Chimaev and falling short. Since then, Usman has been sitting on the sidelines waiting for a few fights to play out in the division. Now that he is ready to get back into action in the UFC, Usman has listed three names that he could potentially face on his return.

In a recent episode of their podcast ‘Pound 4 Pound’ Usman and Henry Cejudo discussed all things MMA and the most recent developments in the UFC.

During their conversation, Cejudo asked Usman if he is planning on getting back to action anytime soon and if so who are the fighters he is looking at taking on.

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ talked about the hottest guys in the division- havkat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry, Jack Della Maddalena and Belal Muhammad and how he would like to go show them who’s still the king of the jungle. He added:

“There is a huge chance that it comes down to one of these guys… And of course, staying at welterweight I would have to choose one of these guys. It’s up to me to go show them… they’re not on my level yet. That I’ve been doing this. That I have been, always will be the boogeyman of that welterweight division.”

Kamaru Usman says there’s a huge chance that his next opponent will be either Shavkat, Ian Garry, JDM or Belal

“It’s up to me to go show them… they’re not on my level yet. That I’ve been doing this. That I have been, always will be the boogeyman of that welterweight… pic.twitter.com/4UIuED0NsC

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 18, 2024

While all four fights sound extremely entertaining for fans, some are more likely to take place than the others.

Where does Usman start?

At this point in time, Usman is on a three-fight skid. The most recent loss could be overlooked as it was on short notice. Regardless, Usman can not afford to keep taking more losses at this stage in his career.

So, out of the names mentioned, Belal Muhammad seems the least likely to happen as he is fighting for the title in a few weeks. But Rakhmonov, Garry and Maddalena are all options that could be realistic targets.

From a stylistic point of view, Garry would be the most favorable matchup for the former champion. However, in his entire UFC career, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has never been known to take the ‘easy fight’. It will be interesting to see who Usman picks as his next opponent and if he has what it takes to get back into the win column.