UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (15-1) believes that he’ll return to the Octagon by the end of this year.
“The Nigerian Nightmare” has just won the belt from Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 and couple of weeks after that he underwent surgery for a double hernia. With that being said, the planned title defense against Colby Covington won’t be happening anytime soon.
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“First of all, the most important thing is my health,” Usman told MMA Fighting.
“I had a pretty significant surgery after my last fight so I want to get back to the point where I can be in the gym and start training. Then I can become the active and dominant champ that I want to be. We’re talking some contracts that need to be worked out, we’re talking about logistics of where the fight can take place, and the most important is my injury. By the end of the year, I should be fighting again, for sure.”
In the meantime, another huge welterweight fight is in the works. Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal are expected to square up at UFC 239 this summer and there’s a big chance whoever gets the W, will get a championship shot at the 32-years-old Usman.
