UFC president Dana White shot down the idea of Kamaru Usman boxing Canelo Alvarez, saying that “he don’t want to fight Canelo.”
Usman had been saying all throughout fight week that, with a win over Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 268, he wants to face the boxing pound-for-pound great Alvarez next. On Saturday night, both Usman and Alvarez competed in their respective sports. Usman defeated Covington via unanimous decision, while Alvarez defeated Caleb Plant via knockout. It’s only natural, then, that Usman will continue to chase this matchup against Alvarez, especially since both fighters just fought and don’t have their next match booked.
However, if you ask White, Usman should not be chasing a fight against Alvarez. Speaking to the media following UFC 268, White explained why Usman fighting Alvarez is a bad idea. According to White, he watched the Alvarez vs. Plant fight on Saturday night during UFC 268, and following the event, he told Usman that he doesn’t want to fight Alvarez.
#UFC president @DanaWhite isn't interested in seeing @USMAN84kg boxing Canelo Alvarez after #UFC268:
"I watched the Canelo fight tonight. He don't want to fight Canelo."
▶️ https://t.co/cVVoPsE8LN pic.twitter.com/3cItVwwsS3
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 7, 2021
Usman has remained adamant all week that his next goal is Alvarez if he gets by Usman, and he did just that on Saturday night. It seems more likely that Usman will fight Leon Edwards next if he beats Jorge Masvidal next month, but you can expect him to keep chasing after this fight with Alvarez in the meantime, even if White doesn’t like it. Ultimately, if there is money to be made for all parties, then a deal could be struck.
