Kamaru Usman says UFC rankings panel should be ashamed, knows willing opponents are few

After the first knockout of his UFC career, welterweight Kamaru Usman’s stock is on the rise. And it better be a significant rise, as far as he’s concerned.

“Whoever is in charge of making those rankings, whoever it is – or whoever the collective group is that’s in charge of making those rankings – you should be ashamed of yourself,” Usman said following his FS1-broadcast win at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. “You should be.”

Usman (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) entered Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 116 clash with Sergio Moraes (12-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) as No. 13 in the promotion’s welterweight division according to the company’s own rankings. Usman will likely be moving up a few slots following a scintillating first-round knockout of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and he believes that’s more than justified.

“You had me at 13th; are you kidding me?” Usman asked. “I am a problem in the division. There is not one guy that wants to take this fight – not one. How many people do you know calling me out? There’s not one guy who wants this fight.”

The USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings had Usman as an honorable mention heading into that bout. However, those rankings also feature athletes from other promotions such as Bellator, ONE Championship and the Professional Fighters League.

Whatever list you use, though, Usman’s performance showed he is, indeed, capable of competing with anyone in the division. “The Nigerian Nightmare” is now riding a 10-fight winning streak, including an impressive 6-0 mark in the octagon, and he believes the prospect tag no longer applies.

Usman says he’s a contender now and has his eyes set on tackling the division’s absolute best.

“Tonight, I needed to make a statement,” Usman said. I needed to put a stamp on this division and let them know that there’s not one guy who can hang in there with me.”

To hear more from Usman, check out the video above.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 116, check out the UFC Events section of the site.