Kamaru Usman

Who is Kamaru Usman?

Kamaru Usman is a mixed martial artist. Kamaru Usman is the top-ranked fighter in the UFC as of 2021. He has demonstrated his dominance in the industry by winning nearly all of his fights. Kamaru was defeated by Jorge Masvidal in his second fight overall.

He is currently the face of UFC and has lately made headlines after secretly marrying his girlfriend.

Many people are familiar with how he competes and enjoys his greatest days in the UFC, but few are familiar with his backstory.

Early Years

Kamaru Usman was born on May 11th, 1987. He was born in the Nigerian town of Auchi (Edo State).

His father, Mohammed Nasiru Usman, a Nigerian army officer, and his mother, Deborah, a homemaker, had him as the second oldest son and second kid.

Usman grew up in Auchi with his older brother Kashetu, his younger brother Mohammed, and his younger sister, whose name is unknown.

Kamaru’s father did not push him to be an athlete, although he did want him to play baseball.

He used to assist his family with farming and would even trek for miles to obtain water. He had a difficult childhood.

Usman’s father came to the United States when he was a small child to seek a profession as a pharmacist.

Kamaru’s father, on the other hand, did not waste any time in bringing his entire family to the United States.

In 1995 or the first quarter of 1996, Kamaru’s family migrated to the United States when he was eight years old.

He went to a local high school, where he became adjusted to the new culture and atmosphere.

Kamaru was mocked since he didn’t have a solid command of the English language at first.

However, he enrolled in ESL (English as a Second Language) programs, which improved his fluency.

Education

Usman went to Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas, and tried out for the football team.

He tried his hardest to become a well-known football player, but an injury forced him to retire.

After that, Kamaru decided to try wrestling on the advice of the school’s wrestling coach.

This sport was a good match for his athletic abilities.

Despite being a tall and hefty man, Kamaru lost to a girl on several occasions throughout his training.

But that didn’t stop the fighter from showing up for his workout. Instead, it fueled his desire to better his wrestling abilities.

He became so good in wrestling that he finished his high school career with a 53-3 record.

Usman attended William Penn University, a private university in Oskaloosa, Iowa, after graduating from high school.

Kamaru wrestled for the university and qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Despite having qualified, he was unable to compete due to a massive snowstorm.

Kamaru transferred to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska, a public land-grant research university. He did not disappoint in his first year at the new university, earning NCAA Division II All-American honors.

In addition, he assisted his university in winning its first overall team title in 2008. Kamaru also won the NCAA Division II championship and was a part of the University World Team for freestyle wrestling in 2010.

Following his outstanding performance, Christian Okoye, a former NFL player, coined the moniker “The Nigerian Nightmare” for Usman.

Growing up, not only Kamaru but all of his siblings were sports fans. Kashetu, the oldest sibling, was a member of the University of South Carolina soccer team.

Similarly, Mohammed, the youngest son, played football for the University of Arizona. Meanwhile, the youngest sibling and only daughter was a Tarleton University volleyball player.

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Facts of Kamaru Usman

Net Worth

Kamaru Usman’s net worth is estimated to be around $3 million, thanks to his earnings from the UFC, his title as a UFC champion, and bonuses from special events he competed in.

His pay was increased to $380,000 after he defeated Tyron Woodly at UFC 235. His annual salary is currently estimated to be $590,000.

The Nigerian Nightmare has earned over $2 million fighting for the UFC, as well as over $600,000 for his main event victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261.

He earns a lot of money from endorsement deals in addition to his UFC earnings.

Kamaru has a paid partnership with Reebok, a fantastic sportswear company. Trifecta, on the other hand, has endorsed him.

When it comes to his personal life and home, Usman is a bit conservative.

Though he has never shown us his house, he has been showing off his impressive car collection that brags a Lamborghini Uru and a Rolls Royce Ghost.

The Lambo he got in his collection has a starting price of $210,000. Likewise, the retail price of the Rolls Royce Ghost is somewhere around $250,000.

Besides exotic cars, he also owns a motorbike. Kamaru has a Harley Davidson Motorbike, which is worth thousands of dollars. He has nicknamed the bike ‘Sharmain’; he seems like he loves his vehicles.

Professional Life

UFC Career in the Beginning

Usman was a terrific wrestler with incredible skill and enthusiasm, but none of that paid the bills. Wrestling did not pay well for him, so he switched to MMA.

Usman met Rashad Evans, a retired MMA fighter and former UFC light heavyweight champion while training for the 2012 Olympics trials. Rashad was the one who told Kamaru about the UFC’s career prospects.

Following that, Usman began his UFC career with Rashad’s support. Needless to say, Usman won his first UFC bout in November 2012, defeating David Glover at RFA 5 in Nebraska.

Despite the fact that his first fight was a triumph, he did not win the second one—his second battle against Jose Caceres, which was his sole loss.

Kamaru, being a tenacious individual, did not allow the defeat to dampen his spirits.

He continued to exercise and work out in preparation for future matches. He progressed from smaller promotions to The Ultimate Fighter, commonly regarded as the UFC fighter’s cradle.

While competing in The Ultimate Fighter, Kamaru went undefeated, making him a fan favorite at the moment.

Usman won the match against Hayde Hassan in July 2015, earning him a six-figure deal with the UFC at the time.

Usman dominated the UFC for the following three years with his exceptional instincts, big strikes, and an unquenchable thirst for more.

Tyron Woodly was the UFC Welterweight Champion at the time, which was one of the reasons Usman was on the hunt. He wants to take Tyron’s UFC Welterweight Championship.

On March 2, 2019, Usman finally received his long-awaited shot at the welterweight title when he faced Tyron Woodly. At UFC 235, the fight was the co-main event.

Usman won the Welterweight Championship match by unanimous decision thanks to his unquenchable drive for winning.

He has been crowned the new Welterweight Champion and the first African-born UFC Champion.

Colby Covington vs. Kamaru Usman

After grabbing the welterweight championship from Tyron, Kamaru earned his first opportunity to defend it on December 14th, 2019.

At UFC 245 in Las Vegas, Kamaru was scheduled to battle Colby in the main event. The fight began, and the Nigerian Nightmare, as expected, dominated the contest.

With the exception of the fourth round, where Colby had a minor advantage over the Nigerian fighter, he did not allow Colby to outmatch him.

But that was short-lived, as Kamaru won the fight in the fourth minute of the fifth round.

He was victorious by Technical Knockout. The match was both lovely and thrilling. As a result, it was given the title Fight of the Night. Both combatants received bonuses for their outstanding performance.

Wife and Kids

Kamaru Usman just recently got married to his Brazillian girlfriend, Eleslie Dietzsch, sometime in September 2021.

Eleslie had been Usman’s partner for a long time, the couple was blessed with a beautiful baby girl in 2014. Thus, it is safe to assume that they had been together since the early 2010s.

The couple has named their daughter Samira Usman. Born in August of 2014, she is 7 years old as of 2022.

The two have not opened up about their first date or how they met since they prefer to keep their personal life private. But, judging by their Instagram post, the couple seems to be in a blissful relationship.

Kamaru’s girlfriend was born on the 22nd of November, 1986. She is of Brazillian descent and speaks Portuguese.

Eleslie was born daughter to her father, Jose, and her mother, Eunice. Besides that, not much info is available about her.

Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal

Kamaru was defeated only once in his entire UFC career, and that was his second overall fight which was against Jorge Masvidal.

So, naturally, he did not like Jorge as he put a dent in his nearly perfect record.

Kamaru wanted revenge, one fight against Masvidal. The two were still on bad terms with each other, they were going back and forth all the time until the match decided the winner.

On the 24th of April, 2021, Kamaru got what he wanted. He was set to fight against Masvidal, the fight was the main event of UFC 261.

After months of ongoing disputes, Kamaru put an end to it, knocking out Masvidal. Usman seemed to be calm and confident in the ring. He definitely trained to the point that he was sure of the victory.

Kamaru was the dominant fighter in the match; his strike accuracy was well above Masvidal’s as well as his wrestling proficiency.

Equipped with such mentality, strength, and ability, it did not take long for Usman to finish the match.

Kamaru landed the winning blow in the second round, a beautiful right-hand punch that landed perfectly on Masvidal’s face.

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Social Media Links

Although Kamaru prefers to keep his personal life private, he had to have a social media account for millions of his fans.

The fans need to be engaged so that the number of followers does not decrease over time.

Kamaru has an account on Gram, Twitter, and Facebook; his newlywed wife does not have to post for the fans, so she does not have any accounts.

His Instagram has 2.6 million followers, his Facebook has 807k followers and his Twitter has 648.2k followers.