There was a moment in time before Usman won the welterweight strap that he actually thought about leaving the sport of MMA.
“There were moments in the UFC where I thought about quitting fighting because there were moments where I couldn't get a fight,” said Usman in an interview with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter (via Jonathan Chan of TSN). “I was very close. I went six or seven months of just sitting there trying to get somebody to fight. The organization said ‘that guy turned it down, and that guy turned it down' and I just said ‘You know what? There’s no point.’”
Usman would not leave the sport and at UFC 235 in March of 2019, a surging Usman would defeat Tyron Woodley to win the UFC Welterweight Title.
The champion now moves onto UFC 245 and he has a score to settle with a longtime rival in Covington.
“He's not going to get away with this. He's trying to find a way out right now. These are all excuses.” said Usman. “Don't put that character on. Be the guy. You became this character and went fully into it. You have no respect for anybody, any culture, any gender, or anything, so be that guy.”
UFC 245 takes place on Saturday, December 14 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
