A clear-minded and humble approach to his career has Mohammed Usman primed for success as he looks to bounce back at UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Jandiroba.
For a fighter to win The Ultimate Fighter and embark on a career in the UFC, it would be easy to think that they've already made it. But that's not Mohammed Usman's mindset.
Usman, the younger, but bigger, brother of former UFC welterweight champion and pound-for-pound great Kamaru Usman, has a fascinating combination of steely-eyed determination and well-grounded humility that has already taken him to an 11-3 record and a spot on the sport's biggest stage, despite turning pro with no amateur experience whatsoever.
It's meant that the fighter known as "Motor" has effectively been learning on the job ever since he made his pro debut at Tachi Palace back in 2017. Since then, he's steadily improved his skillset and, after earning a spot in the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter, took home the heavyweight honors courtesy of a second-round knockout of Zac Pauga in August 2022.
Fast forward two years to the present day, and Usman is ready to make the walk for his fifth fight in the UFC as he looks to rebound from his first loss under the UFC lights.
That loss came against England's Mick Parkin in a closely contested battle. It's a result that still stings Usman, who credited his opponent but bemoaned his own shortcomings on a night that ultimately left him frustrated.
"Man, that was a tough fight," he admitted. "Kudos to my opponent, he had a great game plan and stuck to it. I definitely came to fight, like I do every fight. And, you know, there's a lot of ways to win and a lot of ways to lose, and you take the wins for what they are, and you take the losses for what they are, as well."
The ability to remove emotion from proceedings and unpack losses after the fact is a key learning opportunity for fighters, who use the knowledge gained from defeats to close holes in their game or implement new strategies to prevent similar outcomes in future fights. After Usman sat down and assessed what went wrong against Parkin, his lesson was clear.
Usman also started to make other changes to help him level up, and headed to Boca Raton, Florida's Kill Cliff FC, where a room full of killers has helped push him, test him, and help him to grow in preparation for the challenges ahead.
The gym switch has also led to a change in his mental approach, as he now finds himself in a packed room of fighters whose experience far exceeds his own. It's that realization that he has to fight up to meet the level of his training partners that has helped him grow as a fighter, both physically and mentally.
"It's like going back to school, it's like just being one of the guys again," he explained. "I'm not the top guy in the gym, I'm not even close. I'm just one of the guys that's just trying to get better, that's just in the gym, getting beat up with all these good guys, good heavyweights, they have left and right. Guys like Linton Vassell, all these guys, are beating me up, but I keep going and I feel like that's where you see improvements in our game, when you can go and test it against the best guys."
That humility has helped Usman to continue his development as a fighter, and he said that he's been happy with how things have progressed to date. He said he'd grade his UFC career so far as a "B," and explained that the fights he's had, and the styles he's been presented with, have been "tremendously" beneficial for him as he continues to expand his skillset.
On Saturday night at UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Jandiroba at the UFC APEX, Usman will take on Contender Series graduate Thomas Petersen, who is chasing his first UFC victory after losing a decision to Jamal Pogues on his Octagon debut in February. It's a matchup in which Usman expects to face a very specific test.
"A lot of those other guys could wrestle, but he's primarily a wrestler," he stated. "I fought Jake Collier, he was a good wrestler. Even my last opponent could wrestle because I've seen him grapple in a couple of fights. But this guy is primarily a wrestler, 100 percent a wrestler, Minnesota wrestler.
Usman knows he's not the finished article, and he's clearly enjoying the journey of improvement and development as he tests himself in the gym every day, then puts those skills to use on fight night inside the Octagon. And, as he gets ready to step back into competition to show the latest version of himself this weekend, he said those watching will see the difference from the Usman that lost to Parkin back in March.
And that improvement, Usman says, will help power him to victory on Saturday night. "Motor" is aware of the challenge ahead of him, but he's well prepared, well drilled, and ready to not just win, but win impressively.
"I envision winning this fight by knockout – drastic fashion. And that's what I see. I'm willing to go anywhere this fight's willing to go. But I envisioned this fight. He comes in for a shot and I touch him and he goes to sleep."
Don't miss a moment of UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Jandiroba, live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prelims start at 5pm ET/2pm PT, while the main card kicks off live on ESPN & ESPN+ at 8pm ET/5pm PT.