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Kamaru Usman, who wasn't quite known for his trash-talking prowess, has been upping his game of late.
In a recent tweet, the UFC welterweight champion compared himself to Apollo Creed, the iconic fictional character from the Rocky franchise of movies.
"I'm The New Apollo Creed!! UFC Edition," Kamaru Usman wrote.
Portrayed by Carl Weathers throughout the Rocky franchise, Apollo Creed is a tough yet agile boxer who, at the beginning of the series, is the undisputed world heavyweight champion. He spends the first couple of movies playing an antagonistic role opposite Sylvester Stallone's protagonist, Rocky Balboa. They end up having a friendship forged out of mutual respect from the third movie onwards.
Apollo Creed's son, born out of an affair, named Adonis 'Donnie' Creed, takes the helm of the series in the seventh instalment, titled Creed. The character of Adonis Creed is portrayed by Michael B. Jordan and he is trained in the movie by his father's foe-turned-friend, Rocky Balboa.
Kamaru Usman made references to Apollo Creed ahead of UFC 261
It seems like the Rocky franchise is close to Kamaru Usman's heart. This is not the first time 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has brought up the film franchise.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated ahead of his rematch with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261, Kamaru Usman compared his decision to pursue a career in mixed martial arts to that of Apollo Creed's son.
Answering whether he saw his hand being raised at the end of the fight, Kamaru Usman said that he did not fall into this line by accident, rather he chose it, like Adonis Creed chose to box because of his passion for the sport:
"I didn’t get involved in this because I could do nothing else. I chose to be a fighter. A lot of people fall into this. I chose this. I know it’s a movie, but it’s like Apollo Creed’s son choosing to box. I have that burning desire to compete and be the best. I am going to break him. I am going to take a piece of his soul. At UFC 261, that’s going to be a lot of fun for me," Kamaru Usman said.
Kamaru Usman did what he said he would do and clinched a scintillating victory at UFC 261 with a second-round knockout win over Jorge Masvidal, defending his belt for the fourth consecutive time.
