Kamaru Usman revealed this week that his quest to win another UFC title at welterweight has hit a wall named Hunter Campbell.
At 38, the former welterweight king knows he doesn't have much time left at the highest level of the sport. That's why he's done everything he can over the past eight months to get himself a championship fight with new welterweight champion and friend Islam Makhachev.
After picking up his first win in nearly four years over Joaquin Buckley in June, he doesn't have the strongest case for a title shot. However, he has tried to take advantage of his friendship with the Russian and his name as one of the greatest welterweights of all-time to work his way into the fight. However, this doesn't seem to be working.
During a new edition of their pound 4 pound In a podcast with fellow veteran Henry Cejudo, Usman revealed that he has told the company why he thinks the fight with Makhachev makes the most sense. However, despite the discussions, the former champion claims that UFC CBO Hunter Campbell "feels differently" and has no interest in the matchup.
The comments seem to support recent rumors that Campbell has taken on a larger day-to-day role for the UFC, including fight contracts, than CEO Dana White.
Kamaru Usman offered fight against Dricus du Plessis
Along with the update on the lack of progress towards a fight for the welterweight strap, Usman also offered that Campbell and the UFC approached his pitch with the idea of a different fight and in a different weight class. Usman revealed that he was offered a matchup with former middleweight champion Darius du Plessis.
Although Usman is not against a fight at 185 pounds, he claims he is only interested in "meaningful" fights followed by a title opportunity. The UFC may be unwilling to guarantee a championship match following a win over DDP.
Usman scheduled a short-notice fight at middleweight against defending champion Khamzat Makhachev in October 2023. He lost the match by majority decision.
