Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has warned Conor McGregor that Kamaru Usman will break his jaw if they fight.
The once two-weight world champion McGregor has insisted that he wants a shot at Usman's welterweight title when he returns to the octagon later this year. But Bisping thinks that the Irishman should be careful what he wishes for when he takes on the Nigerian, who hasn't lost in almost a decade of competing.
McGregor has promised that he would have nothing to fear against Usman despite his stunning run of victories, that includes knockouts of Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal. He has lost his last two fights at lightweight, but thinks that Usman is sloppy and wouldn't be the insurmountable challenge many believe he would.
Bisping seriously disagrees, telling fans in a YouTube video : "So, Conor McGregor vs. Kamaru Usman might happen. If it does happen, fair play to them both, I hope they both make a ton of money.
"But last time out Conor broke his leg, this time out he is gonna break his jaw. It's as simple as that. Kamaru Usman will break Conor McGregor's jaw."
And the Brit believes that Usman is simply too big and too strong in the grappling exchanges for the Irishman to be able to manage with him in a prospective fight. He continued: "He's a nightmare. For welterweight he's absolutely gigantic first of all. He is incredibly strong.
"The wrestling is off the chain. Man can wrestle like crazy, you know. He would be able to take Conor down with no problem whatsoever. There wouldn't be, it wouldn't be a competition. He would pick him up, boom, slam him down on the canvas with absolute authority. Cardio wise, Kamaru has an advantage there."
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McGregor believes that he will have the far superior striking to his rival, and that after pumping his weight up to more than 190lb, he will be well able to stop the welterweight champion. He told The Mac Life last week: "I feel confident against Usman.
"A jab-happy, sloppy, orthodox wrestler with no submissions whatsoever - what's he going to do? Where's the danger here? I don't see danger - no one has ever obtained three titles in three divisions like I will do if we make this fight."
The Irishman has recently returned to boxing training and is planning to be back sparring with full contact in the next month. He is expected not to cut back to lightweight, where he won his second UFC belt back in 2016. He first became featherweight champion in 2015, and has a 2-1 record at welterweight with wins over Nate Diaz and Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone.
