Well, Conor McGregor vs. Kamaru Usman won’t be happening anytime soon.
The UFC Welterweight Champion called out the former two-division titleholder, who labeled himself as the “Greatest of All Time” this past week when it comes to MMA. McGregor never responded to Usman’s callout; however, the UFC President makes it clear that the “Irishman” won’t be challenging for the 170-pound belt anytime soon:
“Listen, the next title fight for Usman is gonna be one of these guys. It’s gonna be Colby, Masvidal, Edwards. It’s gonna be one of those guys,” White said on ESPN. “It’s not gonna be Conor McGregor.”
White never speaks on the negotiation issue regarding the Masvidal and Usman fight despite the UFC President himself stating that the championship match-up would be taking place during fight week in July.
Masvidal recently explained why the UFC Welterweight bout wasn't confirmed yet, but "Gamebred" was keen on a rematch against Nate Diaz for the BMF title; however, White prefers if Masvidal fights Usman first before going back to the fight against Diaz:
“I would rather see the UFC title be defended than the ‘BMF’ title,” he stated. “Anything’s possible, but those are the fights that make sense right now.”
Covington is the last man to challenge Usman for the Welterweight title and the two had a close encounter that saw “The Nigerian Nightmare” get a TKO win over the California native in the fifth round. Edwards and Usman met back in 2015, with Usman getting the unanimous decision victory.
The 31-year-old has yet to clash against Masvidal inside the octagon; however, the feud between both men is well documented, with Usman and Masvidal almost coming to blows back in January. The next challenger for the welterweight title should definitely be an interesting one.