Kamaru Usman has had a long reign as UFC champion, and he wants to feel that feeling one more time before it’s all over.
Not only that, Usman also wants to conquer a whole new division. The former welterweight champion declared in a YouTube video blog that one of his goals going into the final fight of his career is to win the title again at 170 pounds and move up to 185 pounds for another chance at the championship.
“At this part of my career, the dream scenario is to win the welterweight title in my next fight,” Usman said. “Out. Won the middleweight title. Retired. Just boom, boom, one, two, and that’s it. Because you can’t go beyond that. What else do you want?”
Usman is one of the most successful fighters in UFC history, winning his first 15 fights from his debut in 2015 to the promotion. He won the welterweight title by defeating Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 and went on to record five consecutive title defenses. After losing the belt to rival Leon Edwards and losing to Edwards again in a rematch, Usman quickly moved up to middleweight to fight Khamzat Chimaev, resulting in three consecutive losses. He recently ended his losing streak by defeating Joaquin Buckley in June of this year.
The 38-year-old was asked about his mindset going into the game at this stage of his career and explained how his motivation has changed.
“You’re definitely thinking about the fight,” Usman said. “When I go into a fight, I’m not afraid of getting hurt. I’m worried, ‘This guy is going to hurt me.'” No, I’m not afraid of that anymore. It’s strange to be afraid of losing. Oh, I’ve done so much work, I can’t afford to lose. I can’t afford to lose. That can become fear and ultimately hold you back or put you in a place where you actually outperform your expectations. ”