Kamaru Usman On Win Over Colby Covington: ‘I’m More American Than Him’

Kamaru Usman spoke at the post-UFC 245 press conference about his win over his heated rival in Colby Covington and what it means to him. Usman and Covington had a very vitriolic feud leading up to the PPV, and Usman talked about the importance of his imagining the win in keeping him sane, as well as how the crowd chanted “USA” during the fight.

Highlights from the discussion, and the full video, are below:

On how it felt to get the win over Covington: “It was good to [beat him]. It’s good to move past all of that. I’m gonna be honest; this was what kept me sane all six, seven months whenever this fight — I knew this fight was gonna happen. This is what kept me sane, is this moment right here after the fight. That’s what I look forward to. This is the addictive moment, this is what keeps me doing this. There was a lot emotionally, a lot that [Covington] said. And I meant it, this one’s for the world. This one’s for the people of Brazil, this one’s for my former manager, this one is for my family. This one’s for my man and my recent manager. This one is for everybody. And you know, when you push hate, and you push separation, love and unity does win sometimes. And tonight it won.”

On the crowd chanting “USA” during the fight: “It’s for me too, what are you talking about? It was chanting ‘USA’ for me, let’s be honest. I’ve said it time and time again, I’m more American than him. I am what it means to be an American. I’m an immigrant that came here, worked my ass off tirelessly to get to the top. And I’m still prevailing. And so that’s what it means to be an American. It’s not necessarily all, ‘Just because you’re born here you feel privileged,’ is what it means to be an American. No. I told you, none of these guys work harder than me. That’s what it means to be an American. I work my ass off, and I’m gonna continue to work my ass off. And obviously with good integrity. I don’t have to walk around like a punk and say certain things, and abuse a whole country or abuse the whole world, and talk about people and religions and things like that. I don’t have to. I’m gonna walk with integrity, because at the end of the day, I want everyne that’s watching me — every eye that’s on me — to say, ‘You know what? That’s what we ant to be. That’s the example that we like.’ And so I’m more American than him, so when they were chanting ‘USA,’ you damn sure better believe that was because of me.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit MMA Weekly with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.