Kamaru Usmanhas big plans in 2026. The former UFC welterweight champion not only intends to recapture the title that he lost in 2022, but also wants to become a two-division UFC champion by dethroning middleweight kingpinKhamzat Chimaev.
Usman won the 170-pound strap in 2019 and held it until August 2022.
He defended it a total of five times beforelosing it toLeon Edwards in a rematch at UFC 278.
In 2023, at UFC 286, “The Nigerian Nightmare” got a chance to run it back with Edwards a third time but failed to recapture the throne, losing by majority decision.
Later that year, he moved up to middleweight to fight Khamzat Chimaev on 10 days’ notice and once again suffered a loss by majority decision.
Two years later, in 2025, Kamaru Usman returned to theoctagonat UFC Atlanta and delivered a dominant performance against Joaquin Buckley, snapping his losing skid with a unanimous decision victory.
“The Nigerian Nightmare” wants to fight reigning UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachevnext, and Makhachev has also shown interest in locking horns with the former.
In a recent interview with UFC op Eurosport, when Kamaru Usman was asked about how he visualizes 2026 playing out for him, he said:
“2026, we want to say, wow, I can’t believe you actually pulled that off and went and not only took one title but took two, and you walked away.”
He added that his primary objective is to recapture the UFC welterweight strap first :
Source: LowKickMMA.com
