Kamaru Usman Says Rafael dos Anjos Is Outmanned and Outgunned Against Him

Kamaru Usman spoke with MMAjunkie ahead of his fight with Rafael dos Anjos at TUF 28 Finale. Highlights are below:

On being the backup opponent for Darren Till’s fight with Tyron Woodley: “I’m thinking, ‘OK, I’m training for a world title fight. All right.’ It’s a different level of training when you know this is for all the marbles – you’ve got to give it a little extra ‘mmph.’ And then here comes the statement from Tyron saying ‘I’m not going to fight (Usman) if (Till) doesn’t make weight.’ So now, when you do something like that you force the organization’s hands…My spirit was high the whole time. I was at ease with the thought that, ‘Hey, if this is the opportunity, if this is the plan that’s supposed to happen for me, then it’s going to take place. If it’s not, then hey, we’ll just wait for our turn.’”

On dos Anjos: “Very tough guy – very well-rounded fighter. It just comes down to when you get into a fight with a guy, someone’s going to win, someone’s going to lose. Period. Someone’s always going to be a better man at the end of that day. This is just one of those cases where he’s just going to be outmanned and outgunned. I’m just a bigger, stronger, faster version of what he’s faced in the past…I’m not taking anything away from him – he’s a tough guy. He’s been in this sport a long time. Champion – he’s reached the pinnacle of the sport. But the difference I see between him and I, he’s a welterweight now, as opposed to a lightweight. He’s a legit lightweight – but he’s chosen to forego one of the biggest sacrifices that we do in this sport. When you do that, that kind of gives me a sense that’s no longer your focus – being at the pinnacle, being the best, that’s no longer your focus anymore. Now it’s about you’re older, you’ve got a family – it’s about feeding your family and getting a little bit of money to chase the next venture. But I’m still chasing greatness.”