Kamaru Usman thinks the trail to a blockbuster conflict with Dricus du Plessis is evident.
After developing brief in his final three outings, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ returns to the Octagon this Saturday evening for a high-stakes showdown with surging welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta.
Regardless of his latest inactivity and a string of losses, Usman is doubtlessly one spectacular efficiency away from being proper again within the title image. But it surely’s not reclaiming the 170-pound title he’s involved with. Certain, that’s a part of the plan, however in the end, the purpose is to maneuver up and conquer one other weight class.
“My path there’s fairly easy,” Usman informed reporters throughout the UFC Atlanta media day. “I’ll simply lay out the map right here. I’ll end Buckley this weekend after which look ahead to the winner of, I consider, Islam and JDM, which goes to be an unimaginable battle. It’s such an ideal factor now having Islam come up into the division. Who wouldn’t purchase a ticket to that? Former pound-for-pound and present pound-for-pound. I really like Islam. Islam is a good fighter. I believe that’s one thing that we’d each bear in mind eternally.
“Win [against Islam] after which go forward and possibly vacate, go up. Myself vs. Dricus Du Plessis, if he’s the champion, or Khamzat Chimaev, too, if Dricus is not the champion, we try this. If Dricus is the champion, we try this within the first card in Africa. That’s one other blockbuster. These are back-to-back blockbuster fights you inform your grandkids about. Who wouldn’t watch these?”
After all, engaging in that purpose means the 38-year-old Usman should undergo a assassin’s row of UFC expertise, and all of it begins with Buckley, who has been stacking our bodies contained in the Octagon during the last two years.
