‘I Was Doing Georges Better Than Georges’

Kamaru Usman by no means had the prospect to step contained in the Octagon with UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre, however that didn’t cease the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ from making an attempt to change into him.

Throughout a current look on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman (who hosts the present alongside former two-division champion Henry Cejudo) revealed to St-Pierre that he was Johny Hendricks’ principal coaching companion forward of Hendricks’ epic encounter with ‘Rush’ at UFC 167 greater than a decade in the past.

Going into the struggle, Hendricks had gained six straight and was trying to finish St-Pierre’s dominant reign over the welterweight division. Usman, who had simply kickstarted his personal blended martial arts profession on the regional scene, was introduced in to imitate GSP all through Hendricks’ coaching camp.

“I really studied you a large number even earlier than I used to be really, I believe, within the UFC,” Usman advised St-Pierre. “I studied you as a result of whenever you fought — I don’t know if I advised you this — whenever you fought Johny Hendricks, I used to be introduced in, I used to be his principal sparring companion at one level. I used to be introduced in to imitate you. So I watched you a large number entering into to assist Johny Hendricks. … I needed to commit.

“I assumed I used to be doing Georges higher than Georges. I’m throwing the Superman-low kick, I’m throwing all these items out. I’m capturing on him, I’m making an attempt to take him down, as a result of I knew you’d attempt to take him down. It didn’t matter what his credentials have been, Johny Hendricks is a [wrestling] champ, however I knew you’d attempt to take him down. So I’d been learning you for some time” (h/t MMA Fighting).

To Usman’s credit score, Johny Hendricks gave St-Pierre one of many hardest exams of his profession. Hendricks got here up brief through a razor-close cut up resolution. Greater than a decade later, pundits still argue that Hendricks did more than enough to unseat ‘Rush’ and declare the 170-pound crown.

Nonetheless, Hendricks would go on to win the welterweight title 4 months later following St-Pierre’s first retirement from the game.

Kamaru Usman Praises Georges St-Pierre

Over time, St-Pierre’s historic reign has been in comparison with that of Kamaru Usman, who took the belt off Tyron Woodley at UFC 235. Usman by no means got here near matching GSP’s still-standing file of 9 straight title defenses, however Usman does personal the file for most consecutive wins in the division at 15 — a streak that ran from July 2015 to August 2022.

The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ praised St-Pierre throughout their time collectively, noting the similarities of their pre-fight rituals. Particularly, the act of isolating themselves earlier than a struggle to concentrate on being mentally ready.

“That’s so surreal that you just say that as a result of I’ve by no means heard you say that, however I’m like — and I wasn’t taught these items — I do nearly comparable,” Usman stated after listening to St-Pierre discuss his course of earlier than preventing. “Sadly, I misplaced the struggle, Edwards, the second struggle, as a result of that struggle I simply had loads of stress on me. However I used to be within the toilet and I’m within the mirror and I used to be strolling backwards and forwards. I’m wanting on the mirror as a result of I’d look and I put myself within the state of affairs, and I’m speaking to myself, however even earlier than that, I do do this in my faceoff.

“That’s why most individuals, after they deliver you again in, as a result of most of us have been principal occasions for our previous couple of fights, I’m sitting there, I’m crouched over, I’m speaking in my head. They don’t hear me, however I’m speaking in my head and I’m speaking to the man in my head, after which we again up after which it’s time to go. Nevertheless it’s a psychological course of and I’m on this course of the entire time and I believe loads of it has to do with preparation. It comes from preparations.”