Scouting Report: Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman

Born: May 11, 1987 (Age: 35) in Auchi, Nigeria
Division: Welterweight
Height: 6’0”
Reach: 76”
Record: 20-1 (15-0 UFC)
Association: Sanford MMA/Onx Sports
Stage of Career: Potentially post-prime

Summary: An outstanding, all-time great champion who started out dominating opponents with world-class wrestling, strong cardio, suffocating top control, punishing clinch striking and damaging ground-and-pound. Over time, Usman developed above-average striking. His standup is simple, but he has a solid jab, a powerful right cross and fast kicks, especially the front kick to the body. He is also highly intelligent and difficult to hurt. However, given his age and a few injuries, he does not appear to be quite the grappler he used to be—typical for wrestlers his age, as their knees are not the same and they are not able to bend down low as effectively.

STRIKING

Stance: Occasionally switches, but mostly orthodox
Hand Speed: Average for a welterweight.
Jab: Straight, technical and plenty powerful, but it lacks speed and suddenness. He knocked down Gilbert Burns with a jab.
Cross: Excellent. Similar properties to the jab, except more powerful and accurate. This is Usman’s main strike.
Left Hook: Rarely throws it, and it looks average at best when he does. Somewhat loopy and untechnical.
Overhand Right: He does not throw this punch.
Uppercuts: Technical and powerful, an effective weapon at close range.
Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Mostly throws one punch at a time, but occasionally strings two into a combination—typically just the traditional one-two.
Favorite Combinations: Proficient and technical at the one-two
Leg Kicks: Fast and athletic
Body Kicks: His front kick to the body is quick, technical and accurate, allowing him to score repeatedly against opponents.
Head Kicks: Serviceable but lacks the suddenness and power needed to score with more consistency.
Chains Kicks to Punches: No

Usman’s striking has come a long way. It may be basic, but as he has demonstrated, mastering the fundamentals is far more important than learning fancier techniques. He has a strong jab and a solid one-two, but his money shot is the booming, accurate right cross—a punch with which he has knocked down and finished opponents. He is also dangerous with his uppercuts at close range. The consistent effectiveness of his kicks often gets ignored, particularly the front kick to the body.

CLINCH

Physical Strength: Possesses enormous size and power—to such a degree that he has held an advantage over virtually everyone he has ever fought.
Technique: Superb, thanks to an outstanding wrestling base, along with excellent strength and athleticism.
Knees: Can deliver them with power to the body and, when opportunities present themselves, to the head.
Elbows: Rarely throws them.
Defense against Knees and Elbows: Excellent, as he is either grinding for a takedown or doing the clinch striking himself, giving opponents little opportunity to effectively hit him at close range.

Usman is an absolute terror in the clinch, pinning opponents to the cage with his tremendous wrestling and raw strength while either grinding for a takedown or abusing them with knees.

GRAPPLING

Wrestling from a Shot: Still effective, but he uses it less and less frequently, in part because of age and injuries not allowing his knees to get as low—a common problem for wrestlers in their mid-30s.
Wrestling in the Clinch: Still elite, although a little off his prime. He is no longer able to get down low and finish with his favorite single-legs and trips.
Takedown Defense: An all-time great in this area, as he proved when he turned away some perfectly timed attempts from Colby Covington.
Ability to Return to Feet: He has rarely had to show it but appears to excel in this regard, instantly getting back to an upright position in the Covington rematch.
Submissions: Limited. He prefers to prioritize ground-and-pound over attempting submissions.
Defense and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Difficult to quantify since he never finds himself there.
Top Control: Outstanding. Able to block off escape paths and keep opponents grounded for a long time.
Ground-and-Pound: Solid but not exceptional. He benefits from a willingness to go to the body and head, and he wields impactful elbows. However, his punches could be stronger.

Usman’s grappling may be the area where he has slipped some when compared to his prime. Age and injuries have affected his knees and the ability to crouch down for grappling the way he once did. However, he remains quite good from an offensive standpoint and practically impossible to take down himself. Opponents who do successfully ground him have virtually no chance of keeping him there. He has amazing top control punishes adversaries with effective ground-and-pound.

INTANGIBLES

Athleticism and General Physical Strength: Historically great, though it should be noted that with age and injuries, his athleticism has waned in recent fights.
Cardio: Looks strong over five rounds, including a fifth-round finish of Covington in their first encounter. However, he definitely faded in the fourth and fifth rounds of their rematch, although that likely had more to do with Covington’s otherworldly conditioning than anything else.
Chin: Durable. He can absorb many hard impacts with only mild symptoms.
Recuperative Powers: Reliable. After being hurt badly by a Gilbert Burns punch, he recovered well and knocked out the Brazilian in the next round.
Intelligence: Top shelf. He can adjust to changing situations and follow intricate gameplans well, wisely giving the opponent no chances at all if he simply wants to win. Look to his first fight against Jorge Masvidal as an example. He can also produce a highlight-reel finish without taking unnecessary chances, as he did in his rematch with “Gamebred.”

Usman possesses stellar cardio and the exceptionally high fight IQ he needs to enact his gameplans and frequently offer even excellent opponents no chances to defeat him. He can utterly shut down challengers with the right application of his wrestling, but he is proficient at avoiding too much risk if he decides to strike with them. If he does take a punch, his chin is sturdy, affording him the opportunity to recover in the rare instances in which he is hurt.