Kamaru Usman wants December bout with Neil Magny, who quickly responds

When you know the fight you want, why not just put it out there?

That seems to be Kamaru Usman’s plan, and for now, it seems like it might just work.

Usman (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who’s No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, has won six straight UFC fights and 11 consecutive bouts overall. Now, he wants a matchup against a fellow contender: No. 14-ranked Neil Magny (19-6 MMA, 12-5 UFC).

Usman, who initially called for a fight with former lightweight champ and No. 12-ranked Rafael dos Anjos (27-9 MMA, 16-7 UFC), set his sights on Magny on Thursday. He took his plea public, tagging Magny, MMAjunkie and other journalists in his tweet:

A receptive Magny responded just hours later (via Twitter):

They’re shooting for a December pay-per-view date, namely UFC 218, which takes place Dec. 2 in Detroit, or UFC 219, which is slated for Dec. 30 in Las Vegas (via Twitter):

UFC matchmakers prefer to match up recent winners with recent winners (and losers with losers). Usman, 29, recently scored a first-round knockout victory over Sergio Moraes to extend his four-year winning streak, but Magny is coming off a September loss to dos Anjos. However, the 30-year-old was on a 4-1 run (and 10-2 following back-to-back losses in 2013) before the RDA setback, and from a rankings and timing perspective (not to mention early feedback from fans), the matchup seems to make sense.

Do you want to see it? Vote in the poll below.

For more on UFC 218 and UFC 219, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie‘s official blog and is edited by Mike Bohn.