.@USMAN84kg
on breaking his hand before the fight pic.twitter.com/L1JEi7jQyK— Full Send Podcast (@fullsendpodcast)
November 24, 2021
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Recently victorious Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight
kingpin Kamaru
Usman kept a firm grip on his title even with a broken
hand. On Wednesday afternoon, Usman spoke on the Full
Send Podcast about his
UFC 268 meeting with Colby
Covington. According to the champ, he broke his right hand
three weeks prior to the fight date of Nov. 6, and did not strike
with that hand until fight night.
“Yeah, I broke it before the fight,” Usman admitted on the Full
Send Podcast. “Most people didn’t know that, so…yeah, I broke it
three weeks before and I didn’t throw it a day until my fight.”
When asked about how that impacted training, or if he used his hand
for anything after the break, Usman firmly replied no.
“I didn’t throw it until the back, back…right in the backstage,
where you warm up before the fight,” Usman said. “I didn’t throw my
hands for three weeks. My right hand.”
After a little hesitation, Usman shared how it happened, and who
was involved in its break.
“I broke it on someone’s head, yeah,” the champion stated flatly.
“Justin
Gaethje’s head…we spar together…same coach, we’re like main
training partners slash big brother, little brother slash two
assassins in the same place.”
With a smile, Usman followed up about how training goes between the
two.
“I mean, he gets the better of me sometimes, yeah,” Usman
finished.
Despite the self-proclaimed injury, Usman outstruck his foe
123 to
107 in terms of significant strikes as he captured a unanimous
verdict in their second battle. The champion also recorded a pair
of knockdowns in the second frame, and ended the match with a
significant strike accuracy rate of 41% having landed 80 shots to
the head.
