It was just something primal about it

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman experienced an unprecedented period of domination in the division.

In a recent interview with the media ahead of his upcoming fight against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, Usman revealed his favorite fight he has been a part of:

“Guess what my favorite fight has been? It might surprise you. It was actually the first Colby Covington fight. Many people would consider that as the most challenging fight I’ve had, despite my last two fights… There was something primal about it. I didn’t think, worry, or care about anything else. It was just me in there, giving everything I had.”

Usman cited his first encounter with Colby Covington at UFC 245 as his favorite fight because he felt incredibly focused and unaffected by distractions inside the octagon. He also expressed a desire to experience similar moments a few more times before retiring from the sport:

“That night, nothing could distract me. So, after a fight like that, people said, ‘Oh, you got hit a lot,’ but it was the most enjoyable fight I’ve ever had. And through introspection, I realized that these moments are rare. I want to experience them a couple more times before I walk away from this sport.”

Watch Usman’s comments from the press conference below [1:27]:

Khamzat Chimaev’s Opinion on Kamaru Usman’s Motivation

Kamaru Usman stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Paulo Costa against undefeated UFC sensation Khamzat Chimaev.

However, Chimaev believes that Usman took the fight on short notice solely for financial gain from the highly anticipated co-main event of UFC 294. In a media appearance prior to fight night, ‘Borz’ expressed his thoughts:

“The guy is just here to make money. There’s a lot of money riding on this fight. I think he gets paid a lot when someone fights me. It’s a whole different level of money. That’s why he’s here. Of course, he wants to win like everyone else, but he already has an excuse and he’s getting paid, so I think that’s his motive for coming. That’s why he’s here.”

Watch his full comments below: