Kamaru Usman has said he does not take Conor McGregor “seriously” after the Irishman called for a shot at the UFC welterweight title.
McGregor became the UFC’s first ever dual-weight champion in 2016 when he followed his featherweight title triumph by securing the lightweight belt.
Now the 33-year-old has expressed his desire to become the promotion’s first ever three-weight champion, targeting a bout with welterweight title holder Usman later this year.
McGregor is recovering from a broken leg that he sustained in July, when he lost to Dustin Poirier for the second time in seven months. Despite McGregor’s poor form and the fact that Usman is expected to defend his belt against Leon Edwards this July, the Irishman has made clear his intent to challenge the “Nigerian Nightmare” in the near future.
Usman, however, told Sky Sports: “I don’t take anything that he says seriously, because I understand he’s just a clout chaser.
“He’s just looking for clout. He likes to attach his name to the guy at the top of the sport, just to announce his resurgence.
“That’s what he does. If he’s fighting, he’s going to tweet about it. If I’m fighting, he’s going to tweet something. He just wants to keep his name relevant out there, because obviously his fighting isn’t doing the talking anymore. He wants to keep his name out there, that’s why his fingers are doing the talking nowadays.”
Usman is 20-1 as a professional, having won 19 fights in a row to ultimately claim the UFC welterweight title in 2019 and defend it successfully in his last five bouts.
McGregor, meanwhile, is 22-6. The former champion is 1-3 in the last three years.
“To be honest, the real competitor in me is like no, no f***ing way,” Usman said about the prospect of accepting a fight with McGregor. “I wouldn’t even pay attention to him, because I know what he’s doing and I know where he’s at in his career.
“He hasn’t won a fight in a couple of years. Yes, those were tough fights, but it is what it is. If I had to fight Conor, I would still feel the same way: That’s a top contender.
“Does he deserve it? Nobody deserves anything, so he shouldn’t sit there and say: ‘I should get this,’ or ‘I should get that.’
“Myself and the company will set down and decide what makes the most sense. I’ve been the guy that everybody calls out, and that’s because I have something that everybody wants. At the end of the day, if it’s Conor or no Conor, Leon Edwards or Colby Covington or Gilbert Burns, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.
“Everybody is going to call me out, that’s what they’re supposed to do. It’s up to myself and the company to sit down and say: ‘Okay, this guy is worth it, let’s go out and take him out next’.”
Since dominating Tyron Woodley to win the welterweight title via unanimous decision in 2019, Usman has beaten Burns once, Covington twice and Jorge Masvidal twice.
The Nigerian-American, 34, finished Burns, and he also secured stoppages in his first clash with Covington and second meeting with Masvidal.
