Jan Blachowicz wants Kamaru Usman to put his money where his mouth is. Usman had called out Blachowicz despite the Polish fighter being two weight divisions above, fighting at light heavyweight. Despite it not being common for fighters to move up two divisions, Usman is open to the possibility, and Blachowicz doesn’t want him to pull any punches.
Champions usually go up or down in weight to become double champions. However, in very rare cases such as BJ Penn, some fighters have fought in multiple weight classes.
Kamaru Usman aims to join this list of elite fighters by fighting Blachowicz. The Polish fighter has, of course, accepted the challenge via a tweet on X,
“If you still feel the same about it @USMAN84kg, let’s go. I will be ready.”
If you still feel the same about it @USMAN84kg, let’s go. I will be ready. https://t.co/hiYf2MvhtK
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) May 25, 2024
Jan Blachowicz is prepared to fight the former champion at light heavyweight and Kamaru Usman is currently on the lookout for an opponent. But even if the fight does happen, Usman will have to gain considerable weight and train as a light heavyweight. So it would be a while before we see these two warriors lay it out in the octagon.
But if you think that this would discourage them, think again. Usman doesn’t make sporadic statements. He has thought this through and even has a game plan modeled after the former Light Heavyweight Champion Glove Teixeira.
Kamaru Usman will emulate Glover Teixeira in the light heavyweight division
Kamaru Usman is calling for a fight at 205lbs because he thinks it favors him. The Nigerian Nightmare was once a P4P #1 and is widely regarded as the best welterweight of all time. But that time has passed him by and the welterweight title no longer remains a viable option.
Besides, at his peak, Usman fought and beat the who’s who of the division. He did circles around them. So when he says power won’t be an issue for him in the light heavyweight division, we will take his word for it.
He has a plan similar to that of Glover Teixeira as he revealed on the Pound 4 Pound podcast.
“Everybody’s got power when the fight starts, but you grab their leg and you drag him down… the fight completely changes. And that’s exactly what I was gonna do. Glover Texeira did the exact same thing.”
Kamaru Usman recalls his face off with Jan Blachowicz, and still believes the matchup favoured him
“You see my arms next to his?… Everybody was talking about ‘he’s a lightheavyweight’ but I was out there thick on him…
I’m telling you… I wouldn’t have called for 205 [lbs]… pic.twitter.com/dHgH9XvPcd
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 23, 2024
He’s not wrong. Texeira did it rather successfully. Khabib Nurmagomedov did it, Volk does it, and so does Islam. And truth be told, Usman is being a bit humble here. He’s done it fairly often during his long title reign. So, whenever this fight materializes, one can only hope that Blachowicz comes prepared.
