Former UFC champion Michael Bisping tips Kamaru Usman to take on middleweight contender Robert Whittaker should he insists of not fighting his compatriot Israel Adesanya.

The idea of reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman moving up to the middleweight division for a title fight has long been lurking. However, one thing that may have been hindering it from happening is that “The Nigerian Nightmare” doesn't want to face the middleweight champion Israel Adesanya out of respect for his fellow countryman.

Acknowledging Usman's reason, Michael Bisping has proposed a fallback–a fight against top UFC middleweight contender Robert Whittaker.

According to Bisping, should the resurgent Whittaker manages to avenge his loss to Adesanya, this will certainly “open the door” for a middleweight bout with Usman.

“They’re talking about Kamaru Usman going up to middleweight, going up a division. But he said he doesn’t want to do that because Israel Adesanya is the champ and he doesn’t want to go up against his countryman, and he has respect, which I understand a little bit,” the Brit said via his official YouTube channel. “But, just because you’re both from the same country doesn’t mean you can’t fight. Still, I get it, I get it, they’re brothers.”

“But Adesanya’s fighting Robert Whittaker, and that’s not a given,” he assessed. “Whittaker might beat Adesanya, which then opens the door for Kamaru Usman to go up to middleweight and go after that belt there. And let’s remember, Robert Whittaker used to be a welterweight…[but] size wise, Kamaru Usman, he might even be the bigger guy.”