Kamaru Usman would love to get the only loss of his professional career back.
At this point, it may seem difficult for fans to imagine, but Kamaru Usman has suffered defeat before in his MMA career. While we have never seen this occur inside the UFC Octagon, it did happen in the Nigerian American’s second professional fight in 2013 to a gentleman by the name of Jose Caceres.
Usman has broken down the way the loss unfolded in great detail on more than one occasion, including in a recent appearance on the FULL SEND PODCAST. Usman discussed how overconfidence and inexperience contributed to his downfall. He also shared that submitting instead of being choked out was the best way to ensure he’d be allowed to fight again in a few weeks and earn the income he sorely needed at the time.
Nevertheless, the current UFC welterweight champion will never forget the way he felt the moment he tapped out, thus placing the one and only loss on his professional record.
“As soon as I tapped, I felt so worthless,” Usman said. “I was like, ‘Wow. Not only did I just give up, I gave up on myself, I gave up on my dream, I gave up on everything.’ I was like, ‘I will never, ever feel this feeling again.”
Usman’s thoughts from that night remain fresh to this day. He recalls how he reacted backstage immediately after the fight and how he’d ensure that his promise of never feeling that way again would be kept.
“I was back there pacing, and I was like, ‘I fuckin’ suck,” Usman said. “’I need to learn everything there is to learn about this sport if I’m gonna be champion.’ And I took a week off, came back the next week, I bought a gi, I was in jiu-jitsu practice every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”
When asked if he would like a rematch against Caceres, Usman did not hesitate for one moment.
“I would 1,000% love a rematch…Yeah, I think about it, I wanna be like Apollo Creed and just say, ‘You know what? I get to pick and choose anybody! Let’s go get this guy!’” Usman said.
The odds of that happening are quite slim, to say the least. Caceres is currently on a three-fight losing streak on the regional scene and has a professional record of 15-12. Ironically, there is someone from the UFC 268 main event who does hold a victory over Cacares, however: Usman’s greatest rival, Colby “Chaos” Covington.
Do you think the UFC should say ‘to hell with it’ and sign Jose Caceres for a money fight against Kamaru Usman?
