Unranked welterweight Kamaru Usman wants No. 1 contender Demian Maia in Brazil
At a time where most welterweights avoid even mentioning No. 1 contender Demian Maia, up-and-coming prospect Kamaru Usman is chomping at the bit to test his skills against the all-time great grappler.
Usman, a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler and winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” season 21, put on a dominant performance last Saturday against Warlley Alves in front of a hostile crowd in Brazil, and afterwards called out a hometown hero.
Kamaru Usman calls out Demian Maia: "I am the best grappler in the division. Bar none"#UFCSaoPaulo
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) November 20, 2016
The call-out was laughed off by many fans and it makes sense considering Usman has yet to beat anyone in the welterweight top 15. Even Maia acknowledged that while Usman’s fourth-straight win was impressive, he should probably crack the top 10 before reaching for No. 1 contenders.
Congrats to Usman for a good performance, you have a promising career ahead. Look forward to see you fight more and become a top #10 @ufc
— Demian Maia (@demianmaia) November 20, 2016
Still, the relative backlash hasn’t deterred Usman, who continued his crusade this week.
@danawhite let's do it. @FollowTheMenace wants RDA in Brazil headliner and I want @demianmaia in co main. Let's do business ?????
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) November 22, 2016
Put him up @danawhite let me silence all the Nae Sayers. Grappler vs grappler or should I say grappler vs Killer either one works for me ?? pic.twitter.com/Lj4OLk2zOY
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) November 22, 2016
The fight is unlikely to happen, right now, as the UFC doesn’t make a habit of matching deserved title contenders with unranked prospects.
But if there’s anything we’ve learned in the Conor McGregor era, it’s that a closed mouth don’t get fed. Taking advantage of his time on the mic is likely to grant Usman a fight with a fighter ranked in the top 15, maybe even top 10, next.
It won’t be Maia. But the audacity of his call-out definitely improves his standings amongst the rest of the welterweight prospects.
