Kamaru Usman is undoubtedly one of the best fighters of our generation. He dominated the UFC welterweight division for almost two years. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has a solid record of 20-3-0 and has defeated almost every top welterweight including Colby Covington, Leon Edwards, and Tyron Woodley among many others. He is currently scheduled to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
He was first seen on television as the wrestling coach for Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller’s team for The Ultimate Fighter 14. Furthermore, he made his MMA debut in 2012 and got selected in The Ultimate Fighter 21. Kamaru Usman went on to win that season of The Ultimate Fighter by defeating Hayder Hassan via submission.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ made his official UFC debut by defeating current welterweight champion, Leon Edwards and the rest is history. We have come to know Kamaru Usman, the fighter but now let’s find out about who he really is.
What ethnicity is Kamaru Usman?
Kamaru Usman is of the Nigerian ethnicity. The 36-year-old fighter was born in Auchi, Nigeria. His nickname, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ comes from his roots in Africa. His father was a major in the Nigerian Army while his mother used to be a teacher in Auchi. His father is a Muslim while his mom is a Christian but Kamaru Usman currently identifies as a Muslim.
“Of course, I was born & raised as a Muslim, 100%. We immigrated here and my mom took us to the church,” said Usman on his Instagram Live. Furthermore, he said that his mother was always respectful of the Muslim religion and there were zero arguments in their house on the topic of religion.
In the year of 2010, his father was convicted of multiple offenses including money laundering and healthcare fraud which led to fifteen years in jail time. He was released from jail in March 2021 after which he was present in the octagon with his son after Usman’s win over Jorge Masvidal.
Which country does Kamaru Usman represent?
Kamaru Usman moved out of Nigeria at the age of 8 to the United States. Usman’s family immigrated to Dallas, Texas where his father became a pharmacist. While he has spent most of his life in America, Usman did not forget about his Nigerian roots. He is a 2-time NCAA All-American and even attempted to join Team USA for the 2012 Olympics.
In a way, Kamaru Usman is respectful of both Nigeria and America. During his MMA fights, he has always carried the Nigerian flag with him, which makes many fans feel that he is representing his home country over his work country. Furthermore, he has also painted his face in the colors of the Nigerian flag during one of the weigh-ins.
Your right, even when i was tweeting it i was like wait a minute the flag colors don’t look right bse iam a fan of MMA Kamaru Usman who painted his face nigerian flag colors and i remember colors white and green, anyway sorry 🙏to all Nigerians i forgot the flag colors pic.twitter.com/C4riEyHifZ
— SNyakato (@SNyakato) July 14, 2021
In conclusion, Usman is respectful of the United States but proudly represents Nigeria. Currently, he will be looking to make his country proud by defeating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294.