Kamaru Usman is re-finding his love for the sport of mixed martial arts and wants to return within the next couple of months.
Since making his professional debut in 2012, Usman is currently facing the first skid of his entire career after losing back-to-back fights to Leon Edwards. Following a successful stint on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, it took Usman nine fights until he got the UFC welterweight title wrapped around his waist after dominating Tyron Woodley at UFC 235.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ successfully defended the title five times, accumulating wins over Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal twice, and Gilbert Burns. However, he finally found his match in Team Renegade’s Edwards, who knocked him unconscious at UFC 278 in August last year, followed up by a majority decision victory in March at UFC 286 in London.
Kamaru Usman falls back in love with the sport
After a hectic active schedule, Usman has taken some time to rekindle his love for the sport, enjoying the process of training, learning and once again becoming the challenger. With that in mind, he is hopeful of fighting again in the next couple of months.
On a recent episode of Mike Tyson’s ‘Hotboxing with Mike Tyson‘, the pair dived into the mental side of losing back-to-back fights to the same opponent, as well as losing the invincible championship status. As displayed post UFC 286, Usman revealed he was in a good headspace and is excited to make his return to the cage soon.
“People were more upset that I lost than I was. People were devastated. I get messages all the time. I am fully aware, I know that I’m the best welterweight, for sure, in the division, I know that,” he said. “I’m just in the place where I’m loving the sport again, falling in love with the sport again. I’ve been training now and I just feel stronger. I’m doing certain things, and I’m liking that process again. I’m loving falling in love with the sport again, to where, for me, I might just wanna pop out in the next couple of months and beat somebody up again. I’m really starting to feel that. But it’s at my own terms now.”
Quotes via Middle Easy
Edwards vs. Covington
With Usman out of the welterweight title conversation for now, Edwards’s next challenger is likely to be Covington, who weighed in as a back-up fighter at UFC 286 for the main event. Edwards disclosed his interest in fighting in Abu Dhabi on the scheduled UFC 294 card in October, but nothing as of yet has been pencilled in.
If Kamaru Usman is to make a return soon, who would you match him up against? Let us know in the comments!
