Kamaru Usman explains why he didn’t “trust” himself in Khamzat Chimaev fight

Kamaru Usman says his trust in himself played a key role in him losing to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October.

Usman stepped up on days’ notice to face Chimaev up a weight class in an intriguing three-round middleweight fight. Usman was a massive underdog, but the fight was close, and it was Chimaev who won by majority decision.

Months since the fight, Kamaru Usman reflected back on it and shared the following sentiments:

“That was the issue. That’s why Trevor, my coach Trevor Wittman tells me all the time that I’m one of the best. If not the best, at building in a fight. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t trust myself and my abilities because that fight, it could’ve been a five-rounder. I could’ve easily said you want me to fly around the world and do this, it has to be five rounds. But, I didn’t trust myself enough because I wasn’t training as I would be if I had a fight and I went through a camp,” Kamaru Usman said on Weighing In.

“So, with that being said that, I didn’t trust myself in that sense. Then you get in a fight and I realize I haven’t fought a three-round fight in. I don’t remember last time I fought a three-round fight. So, I’ve built myself up to get in a position to where you can build over the course of five rounds. So now that it’s not that, it was very very difficult for me to be okay with that result,” Usman added.

As Kamaru Usman says, he didn’t fully trust himself on short notice, which he should have, as that resulted in the slow start against Khamzat Chimaev. Had he trusted himself, perhaps he would have pulled off the upset and handed ‘Borz’ his first career loss.

Usman hasn’t fought since his defeat to Chimaev and does not have his next fight booked. The former welterweight champion is currently on a three-fight losing streak.