Biography
Kamarudeen Usman (born May 11, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduate folk wrestler. He is known by his ring name Kamaru Usman.
He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Welterweight Champion.
Kamaru Usman is also the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 21 tournament. As of September 27, 2021, he is the #1 ranked UFC men’s pound-for-pound fighter. As a wrestler, he competes primarily in the 84 kg weight class and was a member of the 2010 USA World College Team.
In college, he competed at 174 pounds and was the 2010 NCAA Division II National Champion, a three-time NCAA DII All-American, and qualified for NAIA National.
Nigerian-American mixed martial artist
Kamaru Usman |
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 Kamaru Usman: History • Biography • Photos |
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| Wiki Events & About Data | |
| Full name: | Kamarudeen Usman |
| Stage name: | Kamaru Usman |
| Born: | May 11, 1987 (age 37) |
| Place of birth: | Auchi, Edo, Nigeria |
| State of origin: | Edo State |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Height: | 1.83 meters |
| Parents: | Muhammed Nasiru Usman, Afsetu P. Usman |
| Siblings: | Mohammed Usman, Kashetu Usman |
| Wife • Husband/wife: | Eleslie Dietzsch |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Do not have |
| The children: | Samirah Usman |
| Job: | Mixed Martial Arts Fighter • Freestyle Wrestler |
| Net worth: | 3 million US dollars |
Early life
Kamaru Usman was born in Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria, on 11 May 1987. His father, Muhammed Nasiru Usman, is a major in the Nigerian Army, and his mother, Afishetu P. Usman, is a teacher. He grew up with two older brothers, Kashetu Usman and Mohammed Usman, the latter of whom is a mixed martial arts fighter.
He struggled with extreme poverty and the deprivation of life around his ecosystem as a child.
His father, Muhammed Nasiru Usman, a pharmacist in the United States, brought the family to this country when Kamaru Usman was eight years old and immigrated to Dallas, Texas, United States.
Career
Kamaru Usman began wrestling as a sophomore at Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas. Because his wrestling coach at the time had difficulty pronouncing his name Kamarudeen, he was given the nickname “Marty” when he joined the team, and the nickname stuck with him throughout his amateur wrestling career.
After compiling a 53–3 record in high school wrestling and placing third at the Texas state championships, Kamaru Usman wrestled alongside Jon Jones at the senior national tournament before leaving for college.
While in college, Kamaru Usman wrestled in Iowa at William Penn University for one year, where he was a qualifier for the 2007 NAIA national tournament, but was unable to attend the tournament due to a snowstorm; however, half of his team and the head coach left early to attend the tournament without him, which frustrated him and influenced his decision to leave William Penn.
He then transferred to the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), which had previously attempted to recruit him on the advice of then-UNK wrestler Tervel Dlagnev, and later helped the Lopers win their first team championship in 2008.
Kamaru Usman placed in the top three nationally all three years he attended UNK and was a two-time national finalist. He became the NCAA Division II national champion at 174 pounds in 2010, finishing the season with a 44–1 record and 30 straight wins.
Soon after his folk wrestling career ended, he turned to freestyle wrestling and became a resident of the United States Olympic Training Center, hoping to make the 2012 Olympic team.
Despite making the 2010 U.S. Collegiate World Team, Kamaru Usman had to abandon his Olympic goals due to failing to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Qualifiers, turning instead to mixed martial arts.
Former National Football League (NFL) star Christian Okoye, whose nickname “The Nigerian Nightmare” is trademarked, has agreed to let Usman use the nickname.
In 2011, Kamaru Usman served as a wrestling coach for Team Miller on the fourteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter. After failing to qualify for the 2012 United States Olympic Team Qualifiers in freestyle wrestling, he made his professional MMA debut in November 2012.
He went 5–1, competing in several regional tournaments before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter in early 2015. In February 2015, it was announced that Kamaru Usman was one of the fighters selected to compete in The Ultimate Fighter 21.
In his TUF debut and quarterfinal bout of the tournament, Usman faced undefeated Titan FC welterweight champion Michael Graves. He won by majority decision.
In the semifinals, Kamaru Usman faced former WSOF Welterweight Champion Steve Carl. He won by unanimous decision and advanced to the finals.
Kamaru Usman faced Hayder Hassan in the finals on July 12, 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale. He won the fight via submission in the second round, earning a six-figure contract with the UFC. He was also awarded the Performance of the Night award.
In his debut as a UFC athlete, he faced future opponent Leon Edwards on December 19, 2015, at UFC on Fox 17. He won by unanimous decision.
Kamaru Usman was scheduled to face two-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion Sérgio Moraes on May 14, 2016, at UFC 198. However, on May 1, it was announced that he had pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Luan Chagas.
In his first fight of the year, he faced Alexander Yakovlev on July 23, 2016, at UFC on Fox 20. He won a one-sided victory via unanimous decision after defeating Yakovlev. Kamaru Usman faced TUF: Brazil 3 tournament champion Warlley Alves on November 19, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 100. He won the fight by unanimous decision for the third consecutive time.
Kamaru Usman faced former KOTC middleweight champion Sean Strickland on April 8, 2017, at UFC 210. He again won the fight via unanimous decision. A rescheduled fight with Sérgio Moraes during his seven-fight unbeaten streak took place on September 16, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 116. He won the fight via first-round knockout.
Kamaru Usman was scheduled to face Venator FC Welterweight Champion Emil Weber Meek on December 30, 2017, at UFC 219, however, Emil Weber Meek had VISA issues and the pair were rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 124.
He won by unanimous decision after defeating his opponent. He was scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on May 19, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 129. However, on April 21, Santiago Ponzinibbio was removed from the fight due to injury and was replaced by ADCC World Wrestling Champion and two-time UFC title challenger Demian Maia.
After stopping all fifteen of Demian Maia’s takedowns and beating his opponent on the feet, Kamaru Usman won by unanimous decision.
On August 18, it was announced that he would be the reserve fighter for the UFC 228 main event between long-time champion Tyron Woodley and undefeated contender Darren Till. Kamaru Usman faced former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos on November 30, 2018, at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale.
He won the fight by unanimous decision, earning him his second Performance of the Night award. With a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC, Kamaru Usman went on to face UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley on March 2, 2019, in the co-main event at UFC 235.
After dominating Woodley for five rounds, he won this one-sided fight by unanimous decision.
Kamaru Usman made his first title defense and faced longtime rival Colby Covington at UFC 245 on December 14, 2019. Although both athletes are striking wrestlers, the match did not include any wrestling moves and instead featured high-speed strikes in the striking.
After what was often referred to as a five-round “slugfest,” Kamaru Usman knocked his opponent down twice before finishing him with strikes in the fifth round to be declared the winner via technical knockout, setting a new record for the most dramatic result in UFC welterweight history. The bout earned both men Fight of the Night awards.
Kamaru Usman is scheduled to defend his title for the second time against longtime teammate and two-time No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Gilbert Burns on July 12, 2020, at UFC 251.
Both coming from the same camp – Sanford MMA – Usman opted to train with Trevor Wittman ahead of the fight.
On July 3, 2020, it was revealed in the media that Gilbert Burns had tested positive for COVID-19 and he was subsequently removed from the card. On July 5, 2020, it was reported in the media that Jorge Masvidal had replaced Gilbert Burns on short notice.
The event reportedly generated 1.3 million pay-per-view ticket purchases in the United States, the most since UFC 229 in October 2018. Kamaru Usman is once again scheduled to defend his title against BJJ World Champion Gilbert Burns on December 12, 2020, at UFC 256.
However, on October 5, 2020, it was reported that Kamaru Usman had withdrawn from the fight, citing the need for more time to recover from undisclosed injuries. The fight was postponed to February 13, 2021, as the main event of UFC 258.
Kamaru Usman defended his title for the third time, winning by technical knockout in the third round, surpassing former UFC Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s record for the longest winning streak in the division at thirteen.
This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. In his fifth title fight, he rematched Jorge Masvidal for the UFC Welterweight Championship on April 24, 2021, at UFC 261 in Florida.
He successfully defended his title after knocking out Jorge Masvidal in the second round, becoming the first man to do so in the UFC. The victory earned Kamaru Usman the Performance of the Night award on Wednesday.
He rematched Colby Covington for the UFC welterweight championship on November 6, 2021, at UFC 268. He successfully defended the championship by being declared the winner by unanimous decision.
Kamaru Usman is scheduled to rematch Leon Edwards on August 20, 2022, at UFC 278 for the UFC Welterweight Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has returned to Sanford MMA to prepare for the upcoming fight.
Personal life
Born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother, Kamaru Usman identifies as Muslim. His father, Muhammed Nasiru Usman, who had previous convictions in Tarrant County for burglary and drunken driving, was convicted in May 2010 of various charges, including health care fraud and money laundering, in connection with a health care fraud scheme.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $1,300,000 in restitution and was released from FCI Seagoville on March 16, 2021.
Kamaru Usman is married to Eleslie Dietzsch, a Brazilian businesswoman.
Kamaru Usman and his wife have a daughter, Samirah Usman, born in 2014.
Net worth
Kamaru Usman’s net worth is estimated to be around $3 million and this number is expected to increase with more fights.
Social media
- Twitter: @usman84kg
- Instagram: @usman84kg
