UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is potentially facing six months on the sidelines following his victory over Gilbert Burns last weekend.
The Nigerian Nightmare retained his 170lb title with a third-round TKO victory over his Sanford MMA team-mate in the main event of UFC 258 in Las Vegas.
But the Nevada Athletic Commission have deemed a potential injury to his right foot worthy of a provisional six-month suspension.
Usman, 33, must undergo a scan on his foot and be cleared by an orthopaedic or sports doctor in order to return to the octagon earlier than August 13.
The UFC's first African-born champion is at a minimum suspended until March 16, with no contact being permitted until March 7.
Burns, meanwhile, is suspended until March 31 due to cuts on his right eyebrow and left orbital.
Victory over the Brazilian was Usman's third successive defence of the welterweight strap, which he claimed in March 2019.
And the Nigerian-born American believes his exploits in the octagon need to start being recognised.
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He said: “That pound-for-pound list is not a popularity contest, you know? I haven’t really lost rounds in here – I control what goes on inside the cage.
“Just because I’m not the loudest guy in the room, I’m not the most braggadocious, I don’t get in trouble outside (the cage), I’m not in headlines all the time.
"Let’s be honest, they kind of disrespect me in a sense. That pound-for-pound list is not a popularity contest. I need to move up on that list.”
Usman's triumph over Burns saw him break Georges St-Pierre's record for the most consecutive wins in the history of the UFC's welterweight division.
And he admits he'd love to test his skill set against the man many consider to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
He said: "Of course, I would like Georges. But I don’t want Georges because of money or anything like that. Like I said, I’m a competitor.
"I want Georges because Georges left on top. Georges can still do it. I see him training. Georges! I’m watching you! I see you training! Georges can still do it.
“So, if there’s potential for that big fight and Georges wants to come back, then of course, Georges can cut the line, absolutely. But I’m not necessarily worried about a big-money fight.
"Right now, I’m just worried about the next guy, and that’s what I do.
"I knock off the next guy and I knock off the next guy, then you guys look back and say, ‘He’s beaten everybody!’ That’s what I’m focused on.”
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