"You're making this sh*t about race" - Former UFC champion issues unfiltered response to Kamaru Usman's bold Israel Adesanya prediction

Kamaru Usman isn't ready to give up on Israel Adesanya, believing that his fellow Nigerian remains a fixture in the UFC middleweight title picture. In fact, he sees a path for Adesanya to recapture the belt that he had had a stranglehold on for so long, saying as much on his Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry.

However, his co-host, former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo disagrees with Usman's assessment of the middleweight title picture. He even went as far as accusing Usman of favoring Adesanya due to race but opted against elaborating on what he meant.

"Oh no, don't do that. Don't do that. Now you're making this sh*t about race, dude. Now you're making this sh*t about race. Nah, I can't do that. No."

Check out Henry Cejudo disagreeing with Kamaru Usman's predictions (24:54):

It is worth noting that Usman often favors Adesanya, regardless of the circumstances. However, Cejudo's reluctance to support his co-host's statements isn't unfounded.

Adesanya is currently on the first losing streak of his career, having suffered back-to-back losses to Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis.

Furthermore, both defeats came in middleweight title fights, with Strickland authoring a dominant performance that ranks as the greatest middleweight upset in MMA history. Meanwhile, du Plessis forced a far more competitive fight out of Adesanya than many had expected before submitting him.

Both men were also regarded as stylistically easy matchups for Adesanya prior to their respective bouts. Du Plessis is the current middleweight champion, while Strickland is gearing up to face him in a rematch at UFC 311. The two of them currently dominate the 185-pound title scene.

Moreover, Khamzat Chimaev is also looming over the division, with a specific wrestling and grappling style that could punish Adesanya for his tendency to roll onto his stomach and expose his back when trying to get up after getting taken down.

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Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya are close friends

Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya formed a friendship years ago, having been two of the only high-level Nigerian-born fighters in the UFC at the time. The two men both captured titles in divisions within range of each other: Usman at welterweight, and Adesanya at middleweight.

More significantly, they were part of the 'Three Kings' era in the UFC, where they and Francis Ngannouu, who was the promotion's heavyweight champion, reigned as the first three African UFC champions.