Looking back over his first year fighting, heavyweight up and comer Mohammed Usman is pretty pleased with how his year turned out, especially since he had zero fighting experience prior to turning pro.
In three bouts in 2017, Usman was able to pick up three first round finishes for the Tachi PF promotion, quickly earning himself a shot on the national stage in the process.
“I feel like I grew a lot in the cage,” Usman told MMAWeekly.com. “Last year I feel I relied a lot on my strength and my athletic abilities. It was my first time in a fight. I didn’t do any amateur fights. I went straight in to the shark tank. I trained and made sure I was prepared and ready to go – so I didn’t go in there not ready – but at the end of the day not many people start their career just as a pro.
“They weren’t easy opponents. All the guys had their own skillsets, and we came up with a game plan and went out there and executed it.”
Usman was able to make good strides forward in the development of his game, especially after he began working with one of MMA’s premier teams.
“All in all I was pretty happy with my performances,” said Usman. “I felt I could do better, but that’s everybody, we all criticize ourselves because we want to be the best out there. I drive myself to work harder and harder.
“Going down to Duke Roufus at Roufusport helped me out with a lot of things. It definitely tightened up some things like my jabs, my kicks and my explosiveness. Duke was a former heavyweight, so he has a lot of skills and tactics that I picked up. A lot of ways to not get hit –this sport is not all about doing damage – it’s about not taking damage too.”
On April 14 in Hammond, Indiana, Usman (3-0) will have his first fight of 2018 when he takes on Dontale Mayes (3-2) in the heavyweight co-main event of Victory FC 60.
“It’s a good match-up for me, because at this point in my career I feel this is a really good test,” Usman said of Mayes. “He’s a tall guy. He’s a highly-talked about guy. But like all my other fights, I’m going in with a great game plan, and I’m going to go in, execute, and finish this guy.
“If I finish him in the first, I finish him in the first, but if I don’t, I have good cardio. I come into every fight in good shape, I work hard and do everything I need to do win this fight – but I’m coming to finish this guy in the first round.”
After stepping up to the national stage to kick off this year, Usman is intent on taking his career global by the end of 2018.
“I’ll be in the UFC by the end of the year,” said Usman. “It’s just like that. Some people like to talk a lot about it, but I let my work speak for itself. That’s my goal.”
