UFC commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan believes the welterweight champ would get more than just a payday out of fighting Canelo Alvarez. Kamaru Usman, the UFC welterweight champion and no. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world, has long been rumored to be pursuing a big-money boxing match against Alvarez, and Joe Rogan said on the Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson podcast that it’s a great idea.
“I would like to see him fight Canelo, I really would. Not because I think that he’s a favorite in a boxing match against one of the greatest boxers of all-time, but I want to see him get a giant payday. The same way I would like to see [Francis] Ngannou fight Tyson Fury.
Rogan: Usman Fighting Alvarez Would Be “invaluable experience”
That’s a way you can make a s***load of money, and I don’t think it damages his potential as a UFC fighter. I think it would be invaluable experience for him, as a champion, if he did have that fight and then came back over to MMA. I think he’d probably be even better as a striker if he gets through it relatively undamaged, even if he loses.”
Kamaru Usman, says Joe Rogan, could seriously surprise fight fans. Usman’s striking has improved immeasurably in recent years, notably knocking out both Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal. As Usman continues to improve, Rogan pointed out the champ’s sheer willpower as a major factor in his success.
“He’s gonna feel some pain. It’s not the same sport, but he’s a dude that knows how to win. You have to understand this guy’s mindset, his knees are destroyed. His knees are f***** but he doesn’t care. He just doesn’t run, but he never runs out of cardio.
Everything he does is just drive. All the plyometrics and all the strength and conditioning stuff he does in the gym, he’s doing it with f***** up knees. All the wrestling drills, he’s doing it with f***** up knees.”
Kamaru Usman’s reign at the top of the welterweight division looks, for the time being, unassailable. Plenty of welterweight contenders are climbing the ranks, looking to dethrone the “Nigerian Nightmare”, including the likes of Khamzat Chimaev and Belal Muhammad, but in the immediate future no fighter seems truly likely to take out the champ.
A move to boxing, if only temporarily, could offer Usman more money than he would earn simply defending his title once again, and potentially see the champ return to MMA as an even more dangerous striker. Do you want to see Usman vs Alvarez? Let us know in the comments.
