'Do it spectacularly': Why Kamaru Usman thinks he's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter over Alexander Volkanovski

Kamaru Usman is confident he’s still the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski put on a masterclass when he shut out Max Holloway in their trilogy bout at UFC 276, and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya continued to show why he’s such a tough puzzle to solve when he outpointed Jared Cannonier in the main event that night.

But despite Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) continuing to reign supreme in their divisions, UFC welterweight champion Usman (21-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) thinks one thing separates him from the rest.

“(Not every) pound-for-pound fighter in the world can step in there three times in a year and put on three spectacular – not just spectacular performances, put on three humungous performances,” Usman told ESPN. “And if you don’t believe me, you can ask the company what the numbers were for those three fights combined. So it’s not just being able to go in there and do it – not just be able to do it, do it spectacularly.

“And I think right now I’m the best at doing that, even though it’s a very, very slim margin. You know, I love all these guys. Volkanovski, just a great guy – love him. Izzy, as well. These are all my guys.”

Since capturing the welterweight title in March 2019, Usman has defended his belt five times, including three knockouts over Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal. He is set for another rematch when he faces Leon Edwards in the UFC 278 main event Aug. 20 in Salt Lake City.