“It’s always the same for me: the closer it gets, the more it feels like I’m very lucky and I’m very, very blessed to be able to do this,” continued the ever-positive athlete. “No matter how things go, at the end of the day, I’m one of the few people that is getting to live out my dreams. These are things that as I kid, I talked about doing, and now I’m living in it.
“Sometimes we lose perspective of that based on results or internet trolls, stuff like that, but whenever it gets to fight week, closer to fight time, it all starts to hit again like, ‘Man, you’re literally living your dreams!’ The gratitude is always there for me.”
That perspective and gratitude fuel the way Yusuff is approaching this weekend’s clash with Santos, who enters off a debated split decision win over Francis Marshall in March and brandishing a 16-1 record overall.
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It’s also an extension of the message he preaches to those he trains with and that are looking to learn from his example.
“I kind of look at it as (playing) the hand that you’re dealt, and you’ve got to put your best foot forward,” he said. “Whatever your 100 percent is, you have to maximize that. I tell the guys at the gym all the time, ‘If your 100 percent is being able to train one hour a month, maximize those opportunities.’
“So it’s one of those things where you can’t wallow in pity or say ‘woe is me.’ Everybody goes into these situations all the time with something off — people make fun of (Kamaru) Usman’s knees all the time, and that’s one of those things that motivates me all the time.”
