Kamaru Usman Wants GSP, Will Take Leon Edwards, and Passes on McGregor

Kamaru Usman made many fight fans happy when he and Colby Covington went to war at UFC 245. After finishing Covington by TKO in the final round and leaving him with a fractured jaw, Usman is ending 2019 on a high note. Looking ahead for what is next, Usman has a few names in mind for 2020.

Speaking with TMZ, the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion said he would like to face Georges St. Pierre to cement his legacy. “One more win and I tie him for most consecutive wins,” Usman said of the possibility of facing St-Pierre. “How sweet would it be to actually get that win off of him?” Usman praised St-Pierre’s time as an active welterweight and said, “he could do it all, and I think I’m a better level of that.”

That is something Usman would like to see happen, but he is also aware of who deserves a title shot. When asked about who is deserving of a shot amongst active welterweights, Usman said, “If you talk about a guy that deserves a title shot, it's Leon Edwards.” He mentioned that Edwards has not lost since he lost to him back in 2015 and both fighters have evolved a lot since then. “He’s a guy that I know is tough, and I recognize his talent for sure.”

It seems Conor McGregor has something to say for every fighter that wins at a pay-per-view event and Usman was not exempt. McGregor tweeted that he would be going after a 170-pound title on Saturday. Usman responded by saying, "He must want to die.” Usman referenced McGregor's loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov and said the outcome would likely be the same. “It wouldn’t even be fair."

Edward Carbajal serves as the lead MMA analyst for Frontproof Media and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a brown belt in Ishin Ryu karate. He has covered combat sports since 2014 and has been a fan of MMA since the first UFC. You can follow him on Twitter @Carbazel or at his website TheBlogBoardJungle.com.