‘Brother’ Khabib Gets a Big Blow From Kamaru Usman As Arch-Nemesis Conor McGregor Also Suffers the Same Treatment in the Nigerian’s All-Time UFC List

Aug 19, 2022 | 10:49 AM EDT

‘Brother’ Khabib Gets a Big Blow From Kamaru Usman As Arch-Nemesis Conor McGregor Also Suffers the Same Treatment in the Nigerian’s All-Time UFC List

Aug 19, 2022 | 10:49 AM EDT

UFC Welterweight Champion, Kamaru Usman, is set to defend his title against Leon Edwards at UFC 278. The Nigerian Star has been on an unstoppable run as champion so far. Just last year, Usman successfully defended his title thrice and earned the number one spot in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.

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In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Usman talked about who he believed to be the greatest UFC fighters of all time. To the surprise of many, Usman left out his friend, Khabib Nurmagomedov, from his picks. Conor McGregor was another prominent fighter, to have been excluded by the Welterweight champion.

The Nigerian star mentioned the names of Jon Jones and Anderson Silva to be his greatest all-time fighters. Usman also added Georges St-Pierre‘s name to the list.

Another surprise to many was Usman’s inclusion of former Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, who suffered the third loss of his career last weekend, to Marlon Vera.

Both Nurmagomedov and McGregor will feel hard done by the Welterweight champion’s decision to leave them off his list. The Russian fighter retired with the UFC Lightweight title to his name, while having an undefeated MMA record. Whereas the Irishman provided the UFC with some sensational fights and garnered millions in pay-per-view buys.

Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards

At UFC 278, The Nigerian champion will be looking to secure another win against challenger, Leon Edwards. The pair fought in 2015, with Usman defeating Edwards via unanimous decision. Since that bout, Edwards has built up a 10-fight win streak, promising to make this fight an interesting one.

Usman, however, had a phenomenal run last year, as he defeated Gilbert Burns, Jorge Masvidal, and Colby Covington.

The rematch between Usman and Edwards is sure to be an exciting one, with both fighters having something to prove. Do you think the Nigerian champion will retain his title? Or will Leon Edwards make a surprise upset? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by

Amitya Vijay Soni

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Amitya Soni is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature, Amitya is looking to combine his passion for writing with his love for MMA. He plans to use his flair for writing to help look past the violence of Combat Sports and aims to unravel its intricacies and nuances. Amitya has been a staunch supporter of Conor McGregor since his early conquests of the featherweight division and has been following the UFC ever since then. Aside from Combat Sports, Amitya is also passionate about his fitness and enjoys writing poetry in his spare time.

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Edited by

Vibhanshu Kumar