Outside Source
Usman recently revealed that he ideally wants to win the welterweight title first, followed by the middleweight title, before retiring by the end of the year.
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“2026, [I want to look back and say], ‘Wow, I can’t believe you actually pulled that off, not only one title, but you took two,” Usman told UFC on Eurosport. “And you walked away.’ Of course welterweight [first]. Because I don’t think the other one happens without the welterweight.”
Usman (21-4) defended the welterweight title five times before losing it to Leon Edwards via a shocking last-minute upset knockout in 2022. Edwards defended his title more convincingly in his rematch against Usman the next year. Usman then suffered a majority decision loss in a one-off middleweight matchup against Khamzat Chimaev. The former champ returned to competition after a 20-month hiatus in June 2025 and scored a unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley in his last outing.
Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev dethroned Jack Della Maddalena to win the welterweight title this past November. Makhachev, who shares his management with Usman, wants to defend his title against “The Nigerian Nightmare” next. This comes as a surprise to many, as the welterweight division has no lack of fresh contenders.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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