Sherdog Prospect Watch: 10 Upside Picks

---

4. Kamarudeen Usman
Division: Welterweight
Record: 5-1
Age: 26
Years Pro: 2.25
Camp: Blackzilians

The 21st season of the UFC’s venerable reality show, “The Ultimate Fighter,” will offer a change of pace and focus on the rivalry between American Top Team and its south Florida neighbor, the Blackzilians. The cast of welterweights is replete with talent, but nobody stands out from that group more than Nigerian native Usman.

After moving to the United States as a child, Usman was a Division II national champion wrestler and spent two years working on his freestyle game at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. When he came up short in the 2012 Olympic trials, he immediately transitioned to MMA, and the early returns have been excellent. Usman’s potential is absolutely through the roof, and barring some major disaster, he has the makings of a top-5 welterweight, even in a stacked division.

Wrestling is obviously the strength of Usman’s game. Do not be fooled by the fact that he wrestled at the Division II level, which was more a product of the fact that he did not begin wrestling until his sophomore year of high school outside the traditional hotbeds than some sort of talent deficit. When he got the chance to compete against high-level competition in freestyle after college, he did just fine and came up just a step shy of world-class credentials. In the cage, Usman chains his attempts beautifully, with a strong array of singles, knee taps, trips and doubles, on all of which he displays outstanding drive, lift, and technique. Once he gets on his opponent’s hips, he is almost impossible to shake off.

From top position, Usman is a bomber. His base is brutally strong, especially from half guard, and his strikes are relentless and powerful. He maintains effortless control and is happy to let his opponent wear himself out by trying to roll to the turtle, where he puts his excellent top ride to good use. On the feet, Usman’s kickboxing game displays all the hallmarks of Blackzilians striking coach Henri Hooft’s style, with a strong emphasis on hard punch-kick combinations, consistent pressure and slick defense. He is obviously still developing and has a lot left to learn, but he should develop into something like teammate Michael Johnson.

What makes Usman’s shockingly advanced technical skills even more impressive is his ridiculous physicality. He is freakishly strong, explosive and smooth in every phase, and for lack of a better description, everything he does in the cage just looks right. The Blackzilians team is perfect for molding someone with his wrestling background, and he has made consistent improvements from fight to fight. He should be the odds-on favorite to win this season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and there is every reason to get excited about his future.

Continue Reading » Alexa Grasso