PFL 3 winner Brandon Sayles says underdog status vs. Mohammed Usman was good thing

For Brandon Sayles, the element of unpredictability worked out for him.

All eyes were on Mohammed Usman, the younger brother of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (7-2) who was making his promotional debut against Sayles (6-1) at Thursday’s 2021 PFL 3 in Atlantic City, N.J.

Usman was as much as a 6-to-1 betting favorite, and after a competitive first round, it was anybody’s fight. But in Round 2, Sayles dropped Usman twice, eventually choking him unconscious.

“Unfortunately, I’m known for getting hit a lot,” Sayles said at the event’s post-fight news conference. “I got kind of a hard head. I go through that in camp quite a bit. Coaches harp on me a lot, but sometimes it takes me a bit to get going, and a lot of those overhand rights definitely connected. I wouldn’t say I was hurt, but I definitely knew he was making good contact. Like all my fights, I stay calm, start to implement a gameplan. I’m underestimated in every fight, so I always think that’s a good thing because they don’t really know what to expect, so just another day at the office for me.”

Though he was a big underdog, Sayles said he wasn’t too surprised at the way the fight played out. He felt like he had the advantage on the ground and that’s where he was able to finish the fight.

“It was kind of what we expected,” Sayles said. “He’s relatively, I wouldn’t say new in the sport, but as far as his skillset, it’s still kinda raw. I knew he was going to try and implement some sort of takedown. He tried to play the long game, sticking me with the jab and setting up his overhand right. Kind of expected that. Again, I’m used to getting hit. Unfortunately, it kind of gets me going. But overall I wasn’t surprised.”