Kamaru Usman Says He'd 'Humble' Conor McGregor Ahead of UFC 246

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman took exception to Conor McGregor's comments this week about looking at other opponents instead of potentially challenging him for the title.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Usman accused the Notorious One of trying to avoid him in the interest of racking up easy wins.

"Humans love the path of least resistance," Usman said. "Fair play to him, I'd say. Fair play to Conor. But this jock sniffer will humble him even worse than Khabib [Nurmagomedov] has humbled him."

The comments came in the wake of McGregor telling reporters Usman has a "sniff-the-jockstrap style" of fighting during the UFC 246 press conference Wednesday. 

Also in that press conference, McGregor said a fight with Jorge Masvidal would be a "more exciting bout" than one with Usman.

The feud between McGregor and Usman began in December after the Nigerian Nightmare's victory over Colby Covington to retain the welterweight title.

McGregor tweeted out afterward "145. 155. 170." in reference to three different weight classes he's fought in throughout his career. He won UFC championships in the 145-pound and 155-pound divisions.

After being made aware of that tweet, Usman told TMZ (h/t ESPN's Marc Raimondi) McGregor "must want to die" by teasing a fight with him.

McGregor is making his return to the Octagon on Saturday against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. It will be his first mixed martial arts bout since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018. It will also mark his first fight at 170 pounds since 2016.

Usman has won 16 of his 17 professional MMA fights, including an 11-0 record in the UFC. Eight of his 16 career wins have come by decision.