UFC’s Kamaru Usman praises Colby Covington for one motive solely

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says rival Colby Covington introduced the most effective out of him.

Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was pushed to the brink twice by Covington of their title fights however outlasted him to emerge victorious. Usman scored a late TKO of Covington of their first struggle in November 2019, then dropped him twice of their rematch en path to a unanimous determination win at UFC 268.

Nevertheless it wasn’t simply Covington’s abilities that Usman needed to cope with. Covington pulled no punches when increase their struggle, which “The Nigerian Nightmare” appreciates in hindsight.

“I say it on a regular basis, and I do know individuals can’t consider the truth that I might  really go, ‘Credit score to Colby Covington,’” Usman mentioned on the “Weighing In” podcast. “I used to listen to it on a regular basis the place individuals say, ‘You want a dance accomplice. You want a terrific dance accomplice.’ And he was that.

“In that struggle, in that first struggle, it was a lot stress to the place it challenged me a lot to arrange, to coach, and to go on the market and simply get locked into the zone. It was virtually addicting, that zone the place I don’t care what occurs.”

Usman finds himself chirping back-and-forth with welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, which he beforehand admitted has lit a hearth underneath him. At present on a three-fight dropping skid, Usman defined how self-motivation is in the end what issues most.

“That’s a terrific factor (rival) to have,” Usman mentioned. “For me, I at all times realized very early on that I’m very self-motivated. I’m. However I realized very early on that it’s a struggle in opposition to myself. I at all times need to show myself flawed, and loads of these fights it was me surprising myself that, ‘Wow, I actually was ready to try this. I actually fought the battle in my thoughts to try this.’”