UFC Fight Night 281: Kamaru Usman full media day interview
UFC Fight Night 281's Kamaru Usman spoke to reporters at media day for his middleweight bout vs. Dricus Du Plessis on Saturday in Oklahoma City.
Video Transcript
Welcome to Oklahoma City, Kamaru Well, thank you last time out we saw you put on a really dominant performance versus Joaquin Buckley.
What went into the decision to move up here to 185 pounds?
Just the opportunity.
I, like I j- like to joke and say, I'm a money weight fighter now.
So, hey, if it's up at, welterweight, I'll do it.
If it's, it's up at middleweight, I'll do it.
Shit, if it's up at light heavyweight, I might do it.
Do you see this path at middleweight as maybe easier to get to the title than it was at 170?
No, I wouldn't say that.
I wouldn't say easier.
I think it's It just fit.
It just m- made sense.
I, I obviously wanted the Islam, fight.
We talked about that, and I thought that was what was gonna be next, but unfortunately in these things like this, the company kinda has a say, a big say in this, and they felt this was an opportunity.
Obviously, I've been up here before and fought the former champion, and so this one just made sense at this time.
But it's definitely not easy.
I wouldn't say easier with respect to some of these guys right now at the top.
I mean, guys like Jared Cannonier, guys like Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho, all these guys ex- Robocop.
All these guys are extremely tough, just like Prochzka and Morales and all these guys.
So, hey, it is what it is.
And then what did you think of Sean Strickland's win over Chimaev and them potentially rematching in the future?
Well, I thought it was a very, very close fight.
I thought Sean Strickland did a good job.
Obviously he's improved greatly since we fought, and so have I.
But yeah, he did a great job in kind of fighting the type of fight that he needed to fight to come out with the win.
I thought it was extremely close.
It could've gone either way.
I But that's the way the judges put it, so it is what it is.
He's the champ now.
Hey, Kamaru.
We asked threads fans on UFC to give you some questions.
Here's what they came up with.
If you could spar with any fighter from any era, who would it be?
George St-Pierre.
That one was quick.
Why so quick?
Because George is, he's a guy that I admire a lot, a guy that I've watched compete, a guy that I consider one of the best to do this, and good friend now.
And so, you know, when you're, you're coming up, I got a chance to I was in a spot at one point where that was potentially something that could've materialized, but getting the chance to meet him and watch him and learning kinda his processes and the way that I deal with things now with my team, it's, That would've been fantastic.
And it, it might not be out of the question, you know.
One day we might be able to just roll around.
So, yeah, we'll see.
Stays in great shape, that's for sure.
Absolutely.
Is there gonna be a podcast this week, and if so, who's the guest?
Oh, from us at Pound 4 Pound?
We're, we're trying.
We just can't freaking get Henry.
Henry's been traveling.
As we know, he just competed last week, so we just cannot quite lock him, we can't quite lock him down yet.
But yeah, we're definitely trying to get something going.
And, this Who's the guest?
I'm the guest this week.
I mean, you know, I'm the one performing, so why not?
Cool.
After this fight, you gotta pick one person who could be next: Prochzka, Machado Garry, or Islam.
After this fight, who's next for me?
Yeah, pick one.
That was what the fan question was.
Sean Strickland.
I mean, that's pretty That makes sense.
That's pretty easy.
Cool.
It's either Sean Strickland or Islam if Islam is still the champion, which I assume he will be.
Fair.
Do you think a double champ for you would make you a top five fighter of all time?
I mean, I already kinda feel that in my head.
I'll be, of course, as a, as a s- athlete and supreme athlete like I, I think in my head, I think I already am.
But of course, that definitely, that's the one club that I, I'm not in yet, and I, I would like to be in that club.
I like being in all the clubs here.
You know, except for, you know, my brother Justin, who is, like I said, the most decorated UFC fighter we ever had.
You know, he's in a different club that, you know, most people can't get into.
But if I get into this one, at least I can say, "Hey, I'm in that club, and you're not in it."
Fair.
We got two more.
As the former mel- welterweight champion, do you think it's possible for Islam to do what you did and come up now to middleweight at any point in his career?
I don't know.
I, I mean, I'm not Of course, I, I think Islam is a f- a fantastic fighter.
I think Islam can do just about anything.
When they were saying, "Oh, he's too small to go to welterweight," I'm like, "Uh, I don't think so.
I think Islam can make it happen."
So I, I think Islam can do whatever he wants to do.
But, right now I'm focused on me, and right now I'm trying to get into this champ champ club.
The last fan question is, do you think you'll ever fight at 170 again, or is 185 the new home?
I'm a money weight fighter.
If 170 presents itself, hey, talk to the team, Ali Abdelaziz, we go out there and we grab that.
Perfect.
Thank you, Kamaru.
I got one more for you, Kamaru.
When you saw how easy Chimaev was able to control Dricus on the ground, did that give you confidence coming into this weekend?
No.
I wouldn't say necessarily confidence.
Like, that's the, the big thing.
A lot of people are looking at this and going just, "Oh yeah, you're a wrestler.
You could just gonna wrestle."
No, there's a lot of things.
When I watch fights, it's not just, "Oh, he exploited that.
That's what's I'm gonna do, too."
It's different.
Different styles make fights.
Different fighters make fights.
And the biggest thing that I don't think people really understand unless they're actually in there is it's the spiritual aspect of it, too.
You have to deal with his spirit.
Yeah, just 'cause Chimaev had success doing all that, that doesn't necessarily mean the next wrestler is gonna have that level of success.
It's how he deals with my spirit.
I'll be different.
You know?
I might, might just be a striking matchup.
I might just piece him up, or I might take him down, or it might be something different.
So, you know, I, I respect his spirit.
He fights hard, he's big, he's strong, and, and he's gonna come into the fight, and whatever he gives me, that's the, the spiritual dance.
Whatever he gives me, I'm gonna take and try to, to exploit.
So it's not just about the wrestling, it's just about being a complete fighter and being able to go out there and do what I do best, which is dominate.
Yeah.
Kamaru, there's an old video out there of you and Islam, I think it was on Anatomy of a Fighter, and it was when you guys were just kinda talking to each other saying like, "Bro, we're gonna be here one day, and we're potentially gonna, you know, fill out this arena."
What do you remember of that moment?
Absolutely.
I think I was, I was champion, I was a welterweight champion, and Islam wasn't champion yet.
And, and we were talking about it.
But I, at that, even at that time, I knew Islam had the potential to become a, a champion, a great champion once Khabib and everything kinda cleared up there at that division.
But, you know, Islam was a champion at that time, and me and Islam have always been great, cool, and friendly, and I'm like, "Hey, you know, you're a big guy."
I sizing him up.
"You're a big guy."
You know, he's like, "Yeah."
If there's ever an opportunity, it'll be a blockbuster fight.
Islam is the pound for pound number one right now.
Have we ever had the pound for pound number one fight the former pound for pound number one?
We never had that, you know, and that's an opportunity I think the, the company missed, before this.
But it is what it is.
Maybe that fight might materialize again, but, you know, like I said, I know I, I don't have a ton of these left, so I'm just grateful for each and every one that I have now, and going out there and making the biggest and best memories that I can.
I was just gonna say, when you look at the names, like you hear Demian Maia, Woodley, Covington, Masvidal, Burns, like, these are guys that are now, their career's finished.
So what, what does that, what do you get out of that when you can still be up here, you know, holding the fort down?
It just, I'm grateful that I was, as much of little bumps and bruises that I've had as well, I'm grateful that I'm still able to do this, that I'm still able to put myself through It's not just the fight, it's the training camps.
To get through the training camps, to be able to go in there and, and, perform, I'm just grateful.
I have a great team, great coaches, and, and, and kind of put a lot, I put a lot into my body, even when I'm not competing or, or training.
So I have a great team that kinda supports me and helps me do this, so I'm just grateful.
And then last one.
I know you said you're kind of excited to not just go with the wrestling this week.
You like mixing it up with guys.
Dricus said he's looking forward to this fight because it wouldn't make sense for him to go out and get a win against just a pure striker after the way the Chimaev fight went.
He said he likes the fact that the wrestling's gonna be incorporated and potentially tested again.
So what do you make of that statement?
You know, I try not to let any of the, the stuff get to me.
I don't, I don't try not to pay that much attention to it, but I, I also saw a, a clip of, I think it's his coach, saying that I, I would be stupid to, to stand with him.
I would be stupid to do this.
And this is the same coach that said that if Khamzat is just gonna use wrestling, Khamzat would be stupid to go in there and, and try that.
So I try not to pay attention to any of that.
I just, I know what I put in, what I've put in for years and years and years.
I, I trust my team, which is why I ride with my team.
It's the same team over and over and over.
They know me, and I'm just excited to go in there, let all the training, all the preparation take over, and just basically paint another masterpiece.
That's it.
That's it?
We're good?
