Kamaru Usman believes he's at 40 percent of potential, but already top 3 in world

PITTSBURGH – Almost 16 months after a failed first attempt, it seems Kamaru Usman and Sergio Moraes will finally get to settle their differences this Saturday.

Both fighters have returned to the octagon since illness forced Usman (10-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) out of their original UFC 198 encounter. On the very night they were supposed to meet, Moraes (12-2-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) fought short-notice replacement and UFC newcomer Luan Chagas to a draw. Since then, he’s picked up a pair of decision wins over Zak Ottow and Davi Ramos.

Usman, winner of Season 21 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” has added three fights to his perfect UFC record since, against Alexander Yakovlev, Warlley Alves and Sean Strickland. In his case, however, they were not only all wins – but all dominant unanimous decisions.

The ever-evolving Usman has, of course, been building his strengths between their original date and Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 116 encounter. But he says the outcome, except for perhaps some added grudge, won’t be that much different.

“I was going to beat him up just as bad last time,” Usman told MMAjunkie. “This time, actually, I might beat him up way worse just because he said some things in the media that he hoped I show up. I got sick very, very bad during that time. Of course, I never want to pull out of a fight. But I was so sick, and then I had to travel all the way down to Brazil – and that was that period when the zika virus was going around really, really bad.

“So, it wasn’t worth the risk for me to go out there and put on a terrible performance, and then come home saying, ‘You know what, I shouldn’t have done that.’ I don’t leave anything to chance. The whooping is still going to be just as bad – if not worse this time.”

If Usman sounds exceedingly confident heading into the FS1-televised main 0card welterweight bout, which takes place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, that could be because, well, he is.

Currently boasting a divisional best five-fight winning streak, he hasn’t really been lacking on reasons to feel that way.

“I don’t do this because I can’t do anything else,” Usman said. “I don’t do this because I came (into it) so poor. Yes, I came up poor, but I’m educated. I went to school. I went to college. I can go get a job and sit at a desk and make salary and support my family. I do this because of competition. I love competition. I made a decision and I made a pact to myself that I wanted to be the best at the world at this.

“That is the main reason to why I do this. Each and every fight, each and very time I come out is a reassurance that I’m on the right track of doing it. I think I’m maybe 35, 40 percent of my capabilities, the level I can get to. But even at 35, 40 percent – I still believe I, if not the best in the world, I am probably the top two, top three best in the world right now.”

Of course, looking to stop Usman on his tracks is a man who’s no slouch, either.

Since a setback in his 2012 UFC debut – when he stepped in to replace Daniel Sarafian against Cezar Mutante at “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” finale – Moraes has shown vast improvements in a game that once revolved basically around his lauded grappling chops.  Like Usman, Moraes currently holds a divisional best with an unbeaten seven-fight streak.

On his end, Usman can’t deny the fact Moraes has managed to put together a pretty solid UFC record. But, he’s simply not that impressed with the way he’s accomplished it.

“He’s a guy that’s satisfied – he just wants to get by,” Usman said. “That’s exactly what his career has been: getting by. Each and every win have been close split decision wins – ‘Oh, I got by.’ Or it’s a draw, this and that. You fought a guy who took the fight on five or six days’ notice and went to a draw with him. I mean, he’s been getting by and getting by quietly. And I am the wrong guy for that.

“And I believe I’m the wrong guy in the division for anybody to even think about getting by. Which is why nobody wants to take this fight. Nobody calls me out. Why would they? Why would I call out a guy and get my butt kicked by him? No one does that. At the end of the day, he’s put together six or seven wins in a row. But that’s not going to stop what I’m going to do.”

To hear more from Usman, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 116, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.