Kamaru Usman gives "recipes for success" to The Ultimate Fighter contestants
Kamaru Usman has given his "recipes for success" to The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality show contestants ahead of the premiere of TUF’s 29th season.
Reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is a TUF alumnus himself. During his ascent to the top of the MMA world, Usman participated in TUF’s 21st season.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' won the show and earned the TUF 21 title. Kamaru Usman eventually went on to capture the UFC welterweight title as well, and he’s now regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Speaking to Charly Caruso during an interview with ESPN MMA, Kamaru Usman chimed in with his advice for future TUF contestants. ESPN analyst Caruso asked Usman what advice he’d give to the TUF contestants, apart from staying focused, persevering, and not letting the pressure get to oneself. Kamaru Usman responded by saying:
“Yeah, absolutely. My advice to future competitors would be: First and foremost, make sure this is something that you want. Because something that this competition is notorious for doing is weeding out those who just say they wanna be a fighter, as opposed to the ones who truly want to be fighters, and they live, eat, and breathe this. And so, make sure this is what you wanna do."
"And if it is what you wanna do, control what you can control. On the show, I was able to control my eating habits. I wanted to be a fighter. I wanted to do this. So, I had to make sure that my eating habits matched what I was saying – Also, controlling my training habits – The things that I could control. And if you’re able to do that, at the end of the day, you go out there, you put your best foot forward, and, you know, those are all recipes for success.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Kamaru Usman emphasized that fighters should control what they can during their time in the TUF house. The TUF reality show features contestants living and training alongside teammates as well as potential opponents. The show is considered a truly challenging experience for its participants, not only in regards to the physical but also the mental aspect.
Kamaru Usman is coming off a massive win at UFC 261
Kamaru Usman secured what many believe is the most spectacular win of his career. Usman bested Jorge Masvidal via second-round KO and successfully defended the UFC welterweight title at UFC 261 in April 2021. The TUF 21 winner and UFC welterweight kingpin is likely to face Colby Covington in a rematch next. Nevertheless, this fight is yet to be made official.
Speaking of TUF, TUF 29 aka The Return of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega is set to premiere on June 1st, 2021. The latest TUF season has UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and his upcoming title challenger Brian Ortega in coaching roles.
The season will feature TUF tournaments in two weight classes, namely men’s bantamweight and middleweight.
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