Kamaru Usman claims that the BMF title was originally conceptualized because of him and argues that his name should be included in its narrative, as he was initially slated to fight Colby Covington at UFC 244 before the BMF title fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz was created.
Kamaru Usman believes his name should be etched into the story of the BMF title. On his podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman questioned fans about why they hold this championship—currently Max Holloway‘s—in such high esteem.
"Guys, why are we talking about it like this is a real title? It’s not," Usman declared on Pound 4 Pound. "This was a hypothetical that was made up because of me. It was made up because of me."
The former welterweight champ recalls that the BMF belt was first introduced at UFC 244. Originally, the UFC planned for Usman to fight Colby Covington. But that bout never materialized. Instead, Dana White crafted the BMF title after Nate Diaz challenged Jorge Masvidal, fresh off his record-breaking KO of Ben Askren at UFC 239 in July 2019.
When Cejudo pressed for more details, Usman speculated how history might’ve changed had he defended his welterweight title against Covington that November night in 2019. "Covington [and I] were supposed to fight at MSG, New York," Usman explained. "The fight didn’t happen. They needed a fight to headline that card, they needed something with some steam."
"What’s the hottest ticket out there?" mused Usman. "Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal—the hottest thing smoking. Then, of course, you have Nate Diaz with his mystique… Nate had already called out Masvidal after his previous fight." Dana White seized the moment: "Let’s create this, all right. It’s called the baddest mother f’er belt. C’mon, are you serious?"
Masvidal clinched victory via doctor’s stoppage TKO and was crowned with the BMF title by none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.