Dana White Praises Usman Ahead of Next Bout

Dana White has called Kamaru Usman the ‘best pound for pound fighter in the world’ ahead of his upcoming bout with Colby Covington.

34-year-old Usman is the reigning UFC Welterweight Champion, a belt he won in March 2019 against Tyrone Woodley. He has since defended it on multiple occasions, most recently knocking out Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261. Speaking to TSN, White explained how the Nigerian grappler is top of the MMA heap right now.

“When you talk about Usman — Usman is without a doubt the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world right now,” he said ahead of UFC 266. “I mean when you look at what this guy has done and how he’s done it. Not just who he’s fought but what he’s done to the people he’s fought.

“Masvidal twice, Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley, Maia, Leon Edwards. Pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.”

Not only has Usman fought, but he has done so with consummate ease. In their first encounter back in 2019, he broke Covington’s jaw and has twice defeated Masvidal, once on points but most recently with a second-round knockout, his first KO victory since 2017. He is favourite with Coral in the latest betting odds for his rematch with Covington, set to take place November 7 at Madison Square Garden, the home of brawling in New York City. It is a huge arena for the UFC and a big stage for Usman to simply prove White right, again. White isn’t the only one who thinks Usman is a shoo-in to retain his title; Jorge Masvidal believes the fight is going one way and one way only.

“I think Colby’s true colours will come out again like the last time when Usman broke him,” said the 36-year-old. “When he can wrestle a guy to death, he’s not gonna try to exchange punches with people. He’s fragile. He’s the most fragile guy on the roster. I’ve said it before, Usman broke his jaw, and Usman broke his jaw just to verify how fragile he is.”

Usman has struggled to find fighters capable of matching him in the Octagon, with a challenge to Conor McGregor, a so-called super fight between two icons of the sport, never materialising despite lots of hype. At the time, he said of McGregor: “We’re about making history here. He’s saying he’s the pound for pound greatest of all time across three divisions. This is your time to prove it, to go out and win the third belt in the third division.”

Whilst McGregor said he was the best pound for pound fighter across divisions, his recent record has not proven it, while Usman’s has. If, as expected, he defeats Covington in November, it leaves him lacking serious choices for his next bout. The nearest challenger is Gilbert Burns, who he defeated in February, whilst Vincent Luque is also a possibility. The Brazilian is 21-7 in his career but has seen off the likes of Leon Edwards, Woodley and Michael Chiesa in his career, the latter two fighters inside a single round.

Usman needs to get past Covington first, but as White suggests, he is the best pound for pound fighter in the world, and November’s fight should not present a significant barrier.