After every UFC title fight, the Sunday morning matchmakers in the fan and analyst space start plotting and scheming over whom they think should be next in line for a crack at the belt.
In the case of Belal Muhammad’s welterweight title win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July, a name got dropped into the conversation that has proven to be polarizing.
Former champ Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) has lost three straight – two to Edwards in title fights, then a short-notice fight against Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight. Yet he’s been one of the most prominent names linked to the potential for a first title defense for Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who needed a 10-fight unbeaten streak to get his title shot.
Even Muhammad told MMA Junkie that he’d be OK if his next fight was against Usman or Shavkat Rakhmonov in December.
But another longtime welterweight standout, Gilbert Burns (22-7 MMA, 15-7 UFC), who headlines Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 242 show in Las Vegas against Sean Brady (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), thinks an Usman title shot would be a bad thing for the division.
“I think it would be a shame,” Burns told MMA Junkie. “You know, the guy has three (straight) losses – that crazy high (kick knockout from Leon Edwards). And then he lost every match. ‘Oh, it was short notice.’ Yeah, but no one put a gun on your face and asked you to fight. You said, ‘Oh, I want to fight.’ So you fought. That’s still a loss. You need to bounce back.”
Usman hasn’t demanded a title shot, per se, but the fact few are ruling him out as a candidate is enough to raise an eyebrow for Burns.
He said he understands Usman’s resume – which includes a third-round TKO win over Burns in a title shot at UFC 258 – gives him some extra currency, but the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately is not there.
“He’s tough. I get it,” Burns said. “Three losses in a row, (but he) was the champion the ‘boogeyman,’ the No. 1 pound-for-pound. It’s a tough place. He needs (wins). He needs top-five wins. I don’t know – maybe (Usman) and (Ian Machado) Garry (or) Jack Della Maddalena, me. Who else is in there? Colby (Covington) is there, but Colby is always in the closet. The closet’s closed, and then he’s over there and whenever it’s an easy thing, he shows up. Leon just lost. But I think Kamaru needs a win. He needs to look good because there’s three losses. He didn’t look good.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.
