Kamaru Usman Says He Never Considered Coasting In 5th Rd., ‘Not Who I Am’

Kamaru Usman controlled Leon Edwards for the much better part of 21 minutes, so why didn’t the previous welterweight champ simply chill — grab, battle, keep away — in the 5th round of their UFC title battle? ‘Cause that simply ain’t the Nigerian Headache’s character.

TMZ Sports spoke with 35-year-old Usman — among the best combined martial artists to ever step foot in a cage — simply 2 days after his UFC 278 loss … and we asked if he considered going out the clock over the battle’s last 4 minutes.

“No, that’s not who I am. When I fight, there’s a reason I’m pedal to the medal and I don’t look at the clock,” Usman flatly informed us.

Kamaru then continued … “That’s the way that I fight. I wanted to finish. It was just a beautiful technique. I could’ve taken him down, but I really wanted to finish and when I was setting up, you know only God knows what I was setting up, I didn’t land it.”

In spite of the loss, Usman, who had not taken an L because Might 2013, isn’t bitter … in truth, he’s really pleased with the head kick with which 31-year-old Edwards ended the battle.

“It was just a beautiful technique. Beautifully timed, and he threw head kicks throughout the fight, but I blocked them all. That one was just money. I’m almost in awe on how good it was but it happens. Champions fall and then they get back and show you why they’re champions.”

When It Comes To all the memes, individuals talking crap online, the other battles like Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez, Kamaru’s paying all that no mind at all.

“I am mixed martial artist and I am the best mixed martial artist in the world. So, that’s what I need to do. I need to prove that. I think of nothing else right now except that.”

“When you sit on top of that thrown, then you can branch out and do other things. Right now, I don’t sit on top of that throne right now. I’m not paying attention to all this side noise and side talk or anything like that. Let’s focus on what we need to focus on first which is getting that back and then we’ll decide.”