If you still feel the same @USMAN84kgLet’s go. We’re ready. https://t.co/hiYf2MvhtK
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz)
May 25, 2024
Kamaru Usman believes he is big enough to compete at light heavyweight.
At UFC 276 in July 2022, then-welterweight champion Usman (20-4) faced Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1). Despite the 35-pound difference in weight, “The Nigerian Nightmare” was no match for the former light heavyweight champion in terms of size. Blachowicz is two inches taller and has a two-inch reach advantage, but Usman’s previous three fights had been against opponents who were 6’2″ taller.
Usman recently spoke about a matchup with Blachowicz, highlighting once again the physical similarities between the two fighters. Though Blachowicz is known for his immense power, Usman still believes he has a stylistic advantage over the Polish top contender. According to Usman, he can beat Blachowicz in a stand-up fight if he tires him out with grappling.
“You can see my arm. My arm is next to his arm,” Usman told Henry Cejudo on Thursday’s Pound for Pound Show. “I was like, ‘Yo!’ Everybody was like, ‘He’s a light heavyweight,’ but I was obsessed with him… I was obsessed. I wouldn’t have asked for 205 at that point if the style was in my favor and I didn’t think I could do it.”
Usman continued, “Look, everybody has power when the fight starts, but when you get hold of your opponent’s legs and drag him down once, twice, galvanize him over and over, it completely changes the fight. And that’s exactly what I was trying to do. Glover Teixeira did the exact same thing…Fatigue makes us cowards, at the end of the day. So if I tire my opponent out enough, he might make me look like Mike Tyson. That’s why I love that fight.”
Taking note of Usman’s comments, Blachowicz challenged “The Nigerian Nightmare” to a light heavyweight showdown.
“If you still feel the same way [Kamaru
Usman]”Let’s go. I’m ready,” Blachowicz retorted.
Social media.
Blachowicz has not competed since losing a split decision to Alex Pereira at UFC 291 in July 2023. The former 205-pound champion has only one win since losing his belt to Teixeira in 2021, a win over Aleksandar Rakic when he suffered a knee injury. The two were scheduled to meet in January, but Blachowic needed shoulder surgery and was removed from the pairing at UFC 297. Meanwhile, former 170-pound champion Usman is coming off a three-fight slump, losing consecutive titles to Leon Edwards and then failing in his middleweight debut against Khamzat Chimaev.
