‘Improbable’ Kamaru Usman vs. Dustin Poirier matchup would ‘push one another to the brink’ — ‘That’s a enjoyable struggle’

Kamaru Usman remains to be considering his subsequent transfer.

The previous Final Combating Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion hasn’t gained a struggle since his Colby Covington rematch in November 2021. Usman scored the unanimous resolution victory in opposition to his rival and has misplaced three in a row for the primary and solely time in his 24-fight profession (20-4).

Two of Usman’s three newest losses got here in opposition to the present Welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards, leaving him in limbo inside the 170-pound title image. Due to this fact, it led the “Nigerian Nightmare” to Middleweight for a short-notice tilt reverse Khamzat Chimaev in October 2023, Regardless of his finest efforts, Usman suffered a majority resolution defeat within the three-round affair. Now, Usman has considered a brand new potential match up after witnessing Dustin Poirier fall into an analogous realm at UFC 302 this previous weekend (June 1, 2024).

“He’s acquired fights. The [Alexander] Volkanovski struggle might — that’s a enjoyable struggle,” Usman mentioned on Pound 4 Pound. “I’m not in any method throwing my hat in, however [if] he needs to go up, hey, that’s a enjoyable struggle. I’m not saying I’m welcoming the struggle, don’t do it. I’m not saying that, however I all the time put my thoughts there. If I used to be to ever compete in opposition to a man like Dustin Poirier, that might be a incredible one as a result of it’s a man that I might actually respect by and thru the method.

“It’s such as you and your predominant coaching accomplice and also you’re similar to, ‘Yeah, we’re going to beat one another up. We’re going to push one another to the brink.’ That may be a enjoyable struggle, however I’m not throwing [my name in the] hat,” he concluded.

Poirier’s latest fifth spherical d’arce choke submission loss (watch highlights) to Light-weight champion, Islam Makhachev, got here in his third-career try at turning into an undisputed UFC champion. At 35, Poirier is contemplating retirement as he ponders why he’d preserve combating.