Reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman praised the performance of Charles Oliveira in the recent fight against Michael Chandler, but he doubts that the Brazilian would have been able to show a similar performance in a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Recall that last weekend Oliveira won the vacant lightweight division title, finishing Chandler in the second round at UFC 262. After the end of the fight, many began to talk about the return of Nurmagomedov, as well as how his fight with the newly-made champion in the person of the Brazilian would have developed. However, according to Usman, the confrontation between Oliveira and Khabib is devoid of any intrigue, since true MMA fans know in advance its result.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Kamaru Usman said that we “know what would happen” if Oliveira fought Nurmagomedov, so he doesn’t think “The Eagle” is interested in fighting “Do Bronx”
“I guess for fans maybe (it would be an interesting matchup). For the ones who truly know, (they) know what would happen in that fight. And yeah definitely, I think Khabib did watch the fight. Was he intrigued and thinking, ‘Hey I want to get back in there’? Probably not. He’s a man that’s happy. He’s happy with his life. He’s happy with the direction that it’s gone, and yeah, I think he’s retired,” Kamaru Usman said.
“More power to Charles Oliveira. I’m impressed by him and I’m a fan of what he’s been able to do in his career. But I just think there are levels to the game and I think Khabib is a different level.”
A fight between two of the best grapplers the UFC lightweight division has ever seen would certainly be a fun one for the fans, but as Usman said, Nurmagomedov is happy with being retired right now and a matchup between him and Oliveira seems like a pipe dream.