Top 10 UFC welterweight Kamaru Usman thinks the Cris Cyborg and Angela Magana situation at the recent UFC fighter's retreat is ridiculous.
Usman recently appeared on the Holy Smokes! MMA Podcast and talked to Fightful's 'Showdown' Joe Ferraro and gave his take on the matter. Cyborg struck Magana during the retreat and was cited for battery.
“It was great, but booze and 300 fighters, that stuff doesn’t mix well in Vegas,” Usman said. “This happened in the middle of the day, no drinking and it’s kind of ridiculous and bizarre with charges and getting the cops involved. It’s ridiculous, but it is what it is and accidents happen.”
Aside from the Cyborg-Magana event, Usman was very positive of the retreat itself, calling it a step in the right direction for the fighters. Usman said he learned a lot, especially on how to better brand himself, which is a must for someone like him who is from a place where mixed martial arts is not very popular like Nigeria.
“Yes definitely [it was worth it],” Usman said. “It was amazing. I think this is the direction that we as UFC athletes wanted to see and they pulled out all the stops to make sure that we are in the right direction and they have done an amazing job. For me, the main part was the branding. I’ve been educated on how to take care of my body. Branding in this sport is relatively new and with me being an immigrant from another country where the sport isn’t as big, branding is one of the biggest takeaways.”
Usman is 4-0 in the UFC since winning The Ultimate Fighter 21 welterweight tournament in 2015. Usman last fought on UFC 210 where he beat Sean Strickland via unanimous decision.
You can check out Usman’s comments around the 31:50 mark in the video above. The Holy Smokes! MMA Podcast with 'Showdown' Joe Ferraro and Fightful managing editor Sean Ros Sapp is live on Fightful.com every Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET.
