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Kamaru Usman: Labelled as the greatest UFC welterweight ever by Dana White

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President, Dana White, believes Kamaru Usman has surpassed Georges St-Pierre as the all-time best mixed martial arts (MMA) Welterweight fighter.

Usman is set to defend his welterweight title against Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 278 on August 20 in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s an intriguing matchup as Usman looks to defend his belt for the sixth time, and the bout also serves as a rematch of their 2015 fight.

Usman has served as the 170lb champion in the promotion since dethroning Tyron Woodley over three years ago. During that run, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare‘ has defended his belt five times, defeating both Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal twice whilst also stopping Gilbert Burns.

“Leon Edwards is the number one guy in the world to take on Usman,” White said. “He’s a super talented guy, that whole division is stacked with incredible talent. That’s why it’s undeniable that Usman is the greatest welterweight ever. He’s lapping guys that are incredible fighters, this isn’t like some lacklustre division where you got Usman and everybody else, just straight killers in this division. We’ll find out that night what Edwards brings in here.

“It’s easier to get there than it is to stay on top,” he concluded. “That’s why it’s so impressive when you have people like Valentina Shevchenko and Kamaru Usman that go on these runs.”

Usman acts as Edwards‘ last defeat, dating back to December 2015. Usman walked away from the victor that night via unanimous decision and, seven fights later, challenged for gold.

Since then, Edwards has been perfect, with the exception of a “No Contest” against Belal Muhammad in March 2021. He’s won nine fights after the Usman loss and most recently defeated Nate Diaz via unanimous decision at UFC 263 in June 2021.

Usman is currently 20-1 as a pro and is a perfect 15-0 in the UFC, and is coming off the decision win over Colby Covington. Prior to that, he knocked out Jorge Masvidal after also TKO’ing Gilbert Burns. He also holds notable wins over Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos, Leon Edwards, and Sean Strickland, among others.

White’s comments have been questioned by fans who believe that now-retired UFC legend Georges St-Pierre holds the title of best welterweight ever. St-Pierre, a two-time 170lb champion, defended his belt against nine different opponents over the course of five years.

St-Pierre retired from fighting after submitting Michael Bisping to win the UFC middleweight title and become one of the few two-weight champions in promotional history. He was linked to a comeback against fellow UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.