“That’s an avenue that I have been around for a bit because a little under a year ago, I went through that,” said the surging welterweight, who squares off with Rafael Dos Anjos in the main event of Friday’s Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale in Las Vegas. “I had different guys pulling out of fights, guys saying they didn’t want to fight me and it became frustrating to where I started to feel like if I can’t get these fights, if I can’t propel myself to the position I want to be in and further my career, what is the point of doing this?”
After leading the Blackzilians to victory over the squad from American Top Team on Season 21 of the UFC’s long-running reality TV competition with a victory over Hayder Hassan, the Nigerian-born Usman rattled off five additional victories to establish himself as an up-and-coming threat in the 170-pound weight class.
Brandishing outstanding wrestling and fresh off a first-round knockout win over Brazilian veteran Sergio Moraes, opponents weren’t exactly calling the UFC looking for an opportunity to share the cage with Usman, knowing the problems he presented. That inability to secure a bout against a marquee name that would help expedite his climb up the divisional ladder ate at the championship hopeful.
“But with every point in life, you find different motivations, and with my daughter growing, that’s a different motivation,” said Usman, who ultimately squared off with Norwegian Emil Meek at the beginning of the year, cruising to an 11th consecutive victory and seventh straight UFC win. “Me getting older and getting wiser, I get new levels of motivation and it’s things that give me a little nudge like, ‘You need to continue on this mission because we’re not done yet.’”
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