{"id":276786,"date":"2018-05-20T09:30:19","date_gmt":"2018-05-20T16:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=276786"},"modified":"2018-05-20T09:30:19","modified_gmt":"2018-05-20T16:30:19","slug":"after-win-over-demian-maia-kamaru-usman-is-only-interested-in-two-matchups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/kamaru-usman\/after-win-over-demian-maia-kamaru-usman-is-only-interested-in-two-matchups\/","title":{"rendered":"After win over Demian Maia, Kamaru Usman is only interested in two matchups"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fresh off a dominant decision victory<\/a> over former UFC middleweight and welterweight title challenger Demian Maia, surging welterweight Kamaru Usman wants a crack at divisional kingpin\u00a0Tyron Woodley<\/a>. He feels it’s a fight he’s earned, and interestingly, an easier fight than the one he just had with Maia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I should fight for the belt next,\u201d Usman said at the post-fight press conference for the UFC’s debut in Santiago, Chile, where he defeated Maia (via MMA Fighting<\/a>). \u201cI just dominated [Maia] better than [UFC champion]\u00a0Tyron Woodley. Tyron ran from him the whole fight. Tyron threw, what, the fewest strikes in a championship fight ever? And I just went out and I dominated the guy from start to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Usman also feels Colby Covington and Rafael dos Anjos, who battle for the interim welterweight title at UFC 225, are easier opponents than Maia.<\/p>\n

“The champion is easier for me to fight,” he said. “And you\u2019ve got these other two bums that are fighting for an interim title, those guys are bums, those guys are easier for me to fight. This was the hardest fight in the division.”<\/p>\n

Having dominated Maia so emphatically over their five-round contest, Usman feels he’s proved he’s ready for a title shot. That being said, he’d be willing to accept a bout with the winner of Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson vs. Darren Till’s upcoming fight too.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cUpwards and onward,\u201d Usman said. \u201cIt\u2019s either Woodley or the winner of [Darren] Till\u00a0and [Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson]. That\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his win over Maia, Usman improved to a truly impressive 13-1 overall. His last eight wins have occurred in the UFC\u2019s Octagon, where he\u2019s bested Hayder Hassan, Leon Edwards,\u00a0Alexander Yakovlev, Warlley Alves, Sean Strickland, Sergio Moraes, Emil Meek, and of course, Maia.<\/p>\n

Who do you want to see Kamaru Usman fight next?<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on\u00a0<\/i>BJPenn.com<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0on 5\/20\/2018. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fresh off a dominant decision victory over former UFC middleweight and welterweight title challenger Demian Maia, surging welterweight Kamaru Usman wants a crack at divisional kingpin\u00a0Tyron Woodley. He feels it’s a fight he’s earned, and interestingly, an easier fight than the one he just had with Maia. \u201cI think I should fight for the belt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54430,"featured_media":273375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[10616],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nAfter win over Demian Maia, Kamaru Usman is only interested in two matchups | BJPenn.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/kamaru-usman\/after-win-over-demian-maia-kamaru-usman-is-only-interested-in-two-matchups\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After win over Demian Maia, Kamaru Usman is only interested in two matchups | BJPenn.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fresh off a dominant decision victory over former UFC middleweight and welterweight title challenger Demian Maia, surging welterweight Kamaru Usman wants a crack at divisional kingpin\u00a0Tyron Woodley. 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