Las Vegas, NV — If you watched the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter, then you would have seen Mitchell Sipe jaw at Mohammed Usman a lot prior to their fight. And while Usman seemed cool, calm, and collected for the most part, he admitted on Wednesday that Sipe got under his skin.
“Oh, man. I was so focused on the goal that when [Mitchell Sipe] started doing all these things, it went past just what you guys were seeing. It’s different when you’re in a house with this guy,” Usman told Cageside Press at UFC Vegas 59 media day. “Like right before we train, we’re getting ready to go on the bus, and he’s walking up to me, ‘Yeah, man. You’ve better be working on your striking. You’ve better be working on your boxing. I come home; I’m cooking a steak. ‘Yeah, man. Are you doing what you need to be doing?'”
“I’m like, ‘Oh my god, just let me cook my steak in peace, man. I just want to eat a steak.’ What is it? You know? So yeah, he definitely did [get under my skin]. And like I was telling my brother, like, I was dreaming about this guy. You know, I’m sleeping and having dreams about this guy, like waking up and thinking I just punched somebody in the face. I’m like, oh, man, Mitchell Sipe, but I love that rush. I love that adrenaline that he gave me.”
Usman feels the same adrenaline about his upcoming opponent Zac Pauga.
“I feel the same thing with Zac. Because, you know, after the show, the guy is just talking and saying a lot of things that you didn’t say on the show. It’s just another step in our life, man. It’s another step in our journeys. And I respect that I respect his culture. I respect everything about the guy, but I’m gonna beat him up come Saturday,” Usman said. “Because, you know, when it comes to being in here and doing this, I’m not gonna tell you exactly what I’m gonna do. I’m not gonna talk crap about a guy; I’m not gonna do any of that. I’m gonna come out here, and I’m gonna compete, and I’m gonna win. That’s all my focus is on. I’m not focused on anything else but winning. And that’s what could come Saturday. That’s what I’m gonna do.”
Usman is one win away from being The Ultimate Fighter and receiving a UFC contract. While many might think he has a little added pressure being Kamaru Usman’s younger brother, it doesn’t affect him. Rather, he said he enjoys the chatter.
Watch the rest of Mohammed Usman’s UFC Vegas 59 media day above. UFC Vegas 59 takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday August 6th.
