WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. -- UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman hasn't fought in nearly 10 months. Usually, those who follow this sport refer to that amount of time between fights as a "layoff" -- but nothing about how Usman chose to spend those 10 months sounds like much of a break.
"Everyone says, 'You had the long layoff,' because it's just the time between when they've seen me inside the Octagon," Usman told ESPN. "That doesn't mean I wasn't doing anything. Even when I just had one hand and the other was casted [after breaking his right hand in a November win over Colby Covington], I was still using my left hand and going to the gym.