There’s this narrative between Shertards that Kamaru isn’t an elite win because he’s a 36 year old, shot knee, washed up WW on short notice, so a win over him at MW doesn’t mean shit.
Let’s break it down:
1- Age. Is 36 a lot for MW?
Anderson was the champ till 38 years old.
Bisping held the belt at 38.
GSP won the belt at 36.
Pereira won the belt at 35.
Izzy held the belt at 34.
So 36yo is right about the average age for a MW champ. Point dismissed
2- Shot knees.
Usman had knee problems even before his title reign at WW, so it’s not something new or a deciding factor in this fight.
3- Washed up.
Just a little bit more than a year ago, Kamaru was considered p4p #1 fighter in the world. His first loss was against Leon, where he was convincingly winning the fight till he got caught by a headkick that would’ve finished anyone. Even the 2nd fight was much more competitive than many give credit for. It was a majority decision after all. And in Khamzat fight he looked very good and that fight should’ve been scored a draw. So no, Kamaru isn’t shot.
4- Usman is a WW.
Usman was a huge WW and wrestled at 174 and 185 pounds in high school. He’s 6 foot tall and has 76 inch reach and walks around over 200 lbs. He also ragdolled the current MW champ when they fought each other. So no, Usman isn’t too small for MW.
5- Short notice.
Usman fought back in March. He took some time to heal and recover and has been back in the gym for a while now. He was looking for an opponent and calling out Khamzat, so in a way he was already preparing for him. He didn’t need to cut that much weight either, so he could put in some good training in last weeks as well. Bisping beat Rockhold on short notice too, so it’s not out of the ordinary.
In conclusion, there isn’t anything really to write Usman off on this one. Would’ve he beat Khamzat a year ago with a full camp? Maybe.
The fact is that Usman is still an elite win, even at MW.