Kamaru Usman (image via UFC / YouTube)

By FCF Staff

Although there are several contenders ranked ahead of him, former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman believes the winner of the upcoming bout between Jack Della Maddelena and Islam Makhachev should face him next.

The new champ, Della Maddalena, is scheduled to fight the former lightweight champ, Makhachev, at UFC 322 on November 15th. The bout will be Della Maddaelena’s first, since he took the title from Belal Muhammad via a unanimous decision win in May.

During a recent episode of “The Pound 4 Pound” podcast, Usman outlined why he thinks he should be tapped to face the winner of the UFC 322 headliner (quotes via MMA Junkie.com).

“If JDM (Della Maddalena) defends that title against Islam, who better to say OK, let’s solidify him as the new generation of champion by taking on the biggest name, the former pound-for-pound in the division, of course, me…”

“Of course, if Islam wins, pound-for-pound vs. pound-for-pound fighting, I mean, I’m not really worried here. I’ve done my job to let them know because they wanted to see, ‘Hey, are you still that guy, can you still hang with these guys, can you still do your thing,’ and I’ve done that. I went in there and showed them that. So, I’m not worried.”

Usman (21-4) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley in June. The win snapped a three-fight losing streak for the 38-year-old, which included two defeats to Leon Edwards, and a loss to Khamzat Chimaev.

The Nigerian fighter is currently ranked #5 in the UFC’s welterweight rankings.