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TUF Talk: Usman wanted to be 'the closer' to shut down ATT

Published Jun. 17, 2015 11:00 p.m. ET

Damon Martin

Just when it looked like American Top Team was on the verge of turning the competition around, the Blackzilians stopped them dead in their tracks with another dominant performance by team captain Kamaru Usman.

Usman started the show in week one with a big win over Michael Graves to get the Blackzilians on the board first and it's been a fairly one-sided affair since.

Following a win by Hayder Hassan a week ago, Usman knew that the fighters from American Top Team were gaining confidence so he volunteered right away to stamp down any uprising by stepping into the 10th fight on Wednesday night.

Like a great relief pitcher in baseball, Usman wanted to come in, throw three strikeouts in a row and just send American Top Team packing with their tails between their legs.

"This is something I discussed with my coaches," Usman said on the latest edition of TUF Talk. "I told them, 'I want to be that guy where if we need that win, I want to be that guy. If we need to close the door, I want to be the guy you put in. Because I will definitely close the door for us. If they start to build momentum, I'm the guy you put in because I will definitely break that momentum.'

"I had that exact discussion with our head coach and I told him that."

Usman will talk about the Blackzilians dominance this season, his rise up the ranks as one of the top fighters on the teams and his expectations for a future in the UFC.

Listen to the newest edition of TUF Talk — the official podcast of "The Ultimate Fighter" — via Soundcloud.

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