Does A Win At UFC 268 Make Kamaru Usman The Welterweight GOAT?
When you hear the conversation be brought up about who has the claim to be the greatest Welterweight of all time, one clear name comes to mind: Georges St-Pierre. Those of us who grew up watching him watched a truly spectacular mixed martial artist before our eyes. His ability to switch stances and keep his opponents guessing, his wrestling, superior grappling skills and to top it all off, a goofy kind of charisma that made him easy to root for. But there is one fighter currently who stands to challenge the throne of GSP, and his name is Kamaru Usman.
Since making his professional debut in 2012, Kamaru Usman has absolutely dominated any fighter he has stepped inside a cage with. Holding a professional record of 19-1, his only loss coming in his second pro fight, Usman not only has not only been leaps and bounds better than the guys he has faced but has gotten significantly better every fight. There was a slight knock on Usman early on in his career that he couldn’t finish guys, he was mostly a great wrestler with average stand-up. But any doubts about The Nigerian NIghtmare’s skills on the feet were put to rest in his first fight with Colby Covington.
If you have the time, look up the Kamaru Usman-Colby Covington 1 highlights on Twitter or YouTube. Usman put on an absolute clinic on the feet, landing clean shots eventually breaking the jaw of Covington before finishing the fight late in round number 5. Since that fight, he has finished 2 out of his next 3 opponents with devastating power and precise boxing skills. His last fight with Jorge Masvidal proved that Usman should be considered in the upper echelon of strikers in the sport. With the day that Usman continues to grow in this sport, is there anyone around that can dethrone him?
Welterweight GOAT Debate?
If Kamaru Usman defeats Colby Covington in their rematch at UFC 268 this weekend, I believe there should be a serious debate on who is the greatest 170lb fighter of all time. St-Pierre has a record of 26-2, although many fight fans and writers, myself included, believe that he lost his split decision fight against Johny Hendricks in 2013. St-Pierre has won in such a wide variety of ways that showcase what a well-rounded fighter he was in his prime. a 13-fight win streak to finish his career off, with wins over massive names like Michael Bisping, Hendricks, Carlos Condit, BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, and many more. But with the way Kamaru Usman’s career is trending, he has made quite a list himself.
Let’s say that Usman gets it done in there this Saturday, if you ask me Sunday morning to tell you who is the greatest Welterweight of all time, maybe it’s recency bias but I would be hard-pressed to not name Kamaru Usman. This isn’t any slander against the Hall of Famer in Georges St-Pierre, but with the level that Usman is operating on currently, I do not believe any man right now has a chance of beating this guy, and when he was fighting, I don’t believe we could say the same about St-Pierre.
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