Kamaru Usman Targets Two-Weight UFC Glory Before Retirement

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has set his sights on becoming a two-division champion before hanging up his gloves. The Nigerian-born fighter, who hails from Auchi, disclosed that his ultimate goal is to reclaim the welterweight crown, vacate it, and then move up to capture the middleweight title before retiring from mixed martial arts.

“At this stage of my career, the dream scenario is simple: win the welterweight title, vacate it, win the middleweight title, and retire,” the 37-year-old said.

Usman, who recently bounced back to winning ways with a victory over Joaquin Buckley, aims to join the elite list of fighters who have held titles in two UFC weight classes—a milestone first achieved by Conor McGregor in 2016 and later replicated by stars like Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria.

The former pound-for-pound king is reportedly eyeing a potential showdown with the winner of the upcoming Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena bout. Usman came close to handing current middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev his first loss two years ago, when he stepped up on short notice to fight at 185 pounds and narrowly lost by majority decision—a performance many still regard as one of the toughest tests of Chimaev’s career.