UFC 300 Rumors: Leon Edwards, Shavkat Rakhmonov Involved in Unexpected Update; Kamaru Usman Waits in Line for the 170lbs Champ’s Official Confirmation

As we approach UFC 300, numerous fight rumors are taking shape. One of those rumors is a fight between former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman returning to fight at the triple-century pay-per-view against Shavkat Rakhmonov. However, sources claim that he’s waiting for the welterweight championship bout to be finalized before making his decision.

Kamaru Usman recently fought Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout at UFC 294. He showcased a tremendous performance, having accepted that fight on short notice. But now, it seems like Usman’s coming back to the 170lbs division. Let’s see what the rumor is all about.

Kamaru Usman to take on Shavkat Rakhmonov?

Kazakh star Shavkat Rakhmonov recently extended his undefeated run at UFC 296. He defeated Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, becoming the first fighter to submit the welterweight veteran in the UFC. Now, it seems like Rakhmonov has a new challenge ahead of him in the form of his teammate Kamaru Usman. However, there is a catch.

Just a few days ago, rumors were swirling that Belal Muhammad would finally get his chance to fight for the welterweight title shot against Leon Edwards at UFC 300. However, the fight has not yet been confirmed by the matchmakers of the promotion. As such, Kamaru Usman is waiting for an official confirmation on that one, as per speculations. Meanwhile, the rumors of ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ taking on Shavkat Rakhmonov may come to the fans as a surprise since the former champion already underlined his condition for a fight against the Kazakh star. Let’s recall what Usman had to say.

Usman’s condition for a fight against ‘Nomad’

Most teammates do not fight each other in MMA. As such, when Kamaru Usman was asked if he’d fight Shavkat Rakhmonov months ago, he refused to do so. However, he laid down one important condition if the UFC suggested him to fight the Kazakh star inside the Octagon, and that was the implication of the UFC title. Usman said, “Yeah, it’s a fight I would take for the title.”

He mentioned that every fighter has one primary aim, and that’s to be the UFC champion. So if the title is on the line, Kamaru Usman would happily step inside the ring and fight Khamzat Chimaev. He added, “If it’s not for the championship and we happen to train with the exact same coach, like why what’s the point?”

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After Kamaru Usman made his jump to the middleweight division last October, fans were of the belief that he might be fighting in that division following his failure to recapture the welterweight title. However, the former champion is rumored to stay in his weight class and possibly looking to get into title contention once more.

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