“Barely Able to Walk”- Debilitating Kamaru Usman Injury Has Joe Rogan and Francis Ngannou Show Concern for Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 294 Opponent

‘The Nigerian Nightmare‘ has done all he can to earn his spot in the limelight. Considered one of the greatest welterweights of all time, Kamaru Usman prepares for battle against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. But before the bout was announced, Joe Rogan had high praise for the fighter.

When Rogan sat down with former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, he couldn’t hold back his praise for the Nigerian fighter. Rogan has been a color commentator for the UFC for ages and knows raw talent when he sees it. Here’s everything he had to say about Usman.

A concerned Joe Rogan praises Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman is a veteran of the UFC and he’s not stayed in there without having unbreakable grit. The fighter has had a run-in with a number of physical problems that could ruin his career. However, as always, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ moved onward.

This quality of his inspired Francis Ngannou who also suffered from a serious knee injury once. Ngannou appeared on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience ahead of his Tyson Fury bout. The two discussed Ngannou’s injury and Usman had to be brought up.

“Kamaru is so strong mentally,” Rogan said. “If people knew how bad his knees are. His knees are so bad, he has to go backwards downstairs sometimes.”

After securing the championship from Tyron Woodley in 2019, Usman admitted that his foot had broken right before the fight. In fact, his knees too were gravely damaged. He would still go on to defend his title multiple times and win. And even though he lost the title to Leon Edwards, the fighter still remains one of, if not the greatest welterweight of all time. This is probably why Ngannou considered him a great inspiration.

Francis Ngannou was nothing but inspired

Ngannou injured his knee while training and things were not the same for a while. However, he would still go on to fight and win, so he knows exactly what it feels like. So when he saw Usman fight in spite of his injuries, he was very impressed by Usman’s will.

“This is the guy that I saw him on Wednesday, he was barely able to walk,” Ngannou said. “. . . he shows up to the fight, looks perfect. That’s kind of inspiring me. Feel better about myself. I’m like, man, I can do this. Like, it’s not over yet.”

Also Read: Kamaru Usman Ready to Take Israel Adesanya’s Place to Fight Sean Strickland After Initial Reluctance by Nigerian Star in a Revelation to Khamzat Chimaev

It all makes sense, Usman’s struggles inspired Ngannou to push forward and he has. Now the fighter has moved on to a different promotion but he still fights strong. On the other hand, Usman himself recently replaced Paulo Costa to face Khamzat Chimaev. Showing up at the last minute with his injuries still troubling him, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is as indomitable as ever. The question is, will he win? Or will his knees hold him back? We’ll find out at UFC 294.

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