Kamaru Usman insists that his name should be included in the story of the BMF title.
Usman recently discussed the BMF title on his podcast with Henry Cejudo, questioning why fans hold the championship — currently held by Max Holloway — in such high regard.
“Why are we treating this like a legitimate title? It’s not,” Usman stated on Pound 4 Pound. “This was a concept created because of me. It was all because of me.”
The former welterweight champion revealed that the original plan for UFC 244 was a fight between him and Colby Covington. However, when the fight fell through, UFC CEO Dana White introduced the BMF title that Nate Diaz had called for in a challenge to Jorge Masvidal.
Usman believes that history would have been different if he had defended his welterweight title against Covington that night in November 2019.
“We were supposed to fight at MSG, New York,” Usman recalled. “But when that fight didn’t happen, they needed a big draw for the event. Enter Masvidal and Diaz, two of the hottest names in the sport at the time.”
“Dana saw an opportunity to capitalize on the hype surrounding Masvidal and Diaz and decided to create the BMF title. It was all just a marketing ploy,” Usman added.
Masvidal went on to defeat Diaz and claim the BMF title, solidifying his status as one of the top fighters in the sport.