Kamaru Usman reveals he was denied Khamzat Chimaev fight by Dana White and team before taking short-notice fight

UFC CEO, Dana White reportedly denied Kamaru Usman the first time he asked for a fight against Khamzat Chimaev.

Kamaru Usman reveals he was denied Khamzat Chimaev fight by Dana White and team before taking short-notice fight

Dana White denied Kamaru Usman when he asked for Khamzat Chimaev (Image via Imago)

Kamaru Usman faced his third consecutive loss in the UFC when he fought Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. However, Usman had apparently asked Dana White for Chimaev way before he was called in to take him on at short notice. Here is what happened:

Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo recently hosted Georges St-Pierre on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, There he told St-Pierre about how White denied him a fight against Chimaev when he initially asked for it. 

I was at a place where I earlier I asked for the fight. I went to Dana and Hunter, sat with them in the office and I said, 'Hey, I want that guy'. And they were like, 'Ah doesn't make sense for us'. And I understand on their perspective, I understood at the time because he is a young star that you're building, I go in and cut that train off. Not good for business."
Kamaru Usman via Pound 4 Pound
YouTube video

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ revealed that he has only asked for two fights up till this point. He said that he believes the UFC knew he would beat Chimaev because they knew of the mentality he is in when he asks for a fight.

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Usman revealed to Georges St-Pierre that he wanted a camp to prepare for Chimaev when he went to White to ask for the fight. However, two weeks ahead of UFC 294 Usman received a call with an offer to take on Chimaev. Usman said he called in some partners and sparred for a bit before he gave his confirmation. The former welterweight champion replaced Paulo Costa at UFC 294 to headline the co-main event in the middleweight division. Their fight went the full distance and Usman lost the fight by majority decision.

Kamaru Usman vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 302?

Former middleweight champion Sean Strickland and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman may go at it again this summer. According to recent rumors, the two are being set up for a potential fight at UFC 302.

Sean Strickland vs Kamaru Usman at UFC 302
Sean Strickland vs Kamaru Usman at UFC 302 ( Image via Imago )

If the reports are correct, the two will fight this June at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Usman previously revealed that he would stick around in the middleweight division after making his debut at UFC 294. Meanwhile, Strickland recently lost his UFC title against Dricus Du Plessis and was vying for a rematch.

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This would not be the first time Strickland and Usman have faced each other in the octagon. They previously fought at UFC 210 in the welterweight division. This was back in 2017 and the fight went the full distance. Usman ultimately walked away with the victory by unanimous decision. It will be interesting to see if this rumored rematch truly comes to fruition.

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