Kamarudeen “Kamaru” Usman (born May 11, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the reigning UFC Welterweight Champion. Usman was also The Ultimate Fighter 21 tournament winner. As of March 9, 2021, he is #3 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
As a wrestler, Usman primarily competed at 84 kilograms, and was the ’10 US University World Team Member. Collegiately, he competed at 174 pounds, and was the ’10 NCAA Division II National champion, a three-time NCAA DII All-American and a NAIA National qualifier.
Background
Usman was born in Auchi, Nigeria. His father was in the Nigerian Army and his mother was a teacher. He has two brothers, Kashetu and Mohammed, of whom the former is a Doctor of Pharmacy and the latter is a mixed martial artist. Growing up with his mother and two brothers in Benin City, Usman struggled with the conditions in his environment during his childhood. Usman’s father, who became a pharmacist in the United States, brought his family into the country when Usman was eight years old, immigrating to Dallas, Texas.
Wrestling career
Usman started wrestling in his sophomore year in high school, at Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas. Because Usman’s wrestling coach at the time had trouble pronouncing his first name Kamarudeen, he got the nickname “Marty” when he joined the team and it stuck with him during his amateur wrestling career. After compiling a 53-3 record in high school wrestling and placing third at the Texas state championships, Usman wrestled alongside Jon Jones at the senior national tournament before leaving for college.
In college, Usman wrestled in Iowa at William Penn University for one year, where he was an NAIA national tournament qualifier in 2007, but was unable to attend the tournament due to a snowstorm; half of his team and his head coach, however, had left early for the tournament without him, which frustrated Usman and influenced him to leave William Penn. He later transferred to the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), which had previously tried to recruit him under advisement of then-UNK wrestler Tervel Dlagnev, and subsequently helped the Lopers win their first-ever team title in 2008. Usman placed top 3 in the nation 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.
Shortly after his folkstyle career was over, Usman turned his attention to freestyle wrestling and became a resident of the United States Olympic Training Center, with hopes of making the 2012 Olympic team. Despite making the US University World Team in 2010, Usman was sidetracked by injuries and eventually abandoned his Olympic goal after failing to qualify for the ’12 US Olympic Team Trials, turning his attention to mixed martial arts instead. Former National Football League (NFL) star Christian Okoye, who has the nickname “The Nigerian Nightmare” trademarked, gave his blessing for Usman to use it.
Mixed martial arts career
Professional MMA career
On 2011, Usman served as the wrestling coach for Team Miller in The Ultimate Fighter season fourteen. After failing to qualify for the ’12 US Olympic Team Trials in freestyle wrestling, Usman made his professional MMA debut in November 2012. He compiled a record of 5–1, competing for several regional promotions before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter in early 2015.
The Ultimate Fighter
In February 2015, it was announced that Usman was one of the fighters selected to be on The Ultimate Fighter 21.
In his TUF debut and quarterfinal bout of the bracket, Usman faced undefeated eventual Titan FC Welterweight Champion Michael Graves. He won the fight via majority decision.
In the semifinals, Usman faced off against long-time veteran and former WSOF Welterweight Champion Steve Carl. He won the fight via unanimous decision and advanced to the finals.
In the finals, Usman faced Hayder Hassan on July 12, 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale. He won the bout via submission in the second round, thus winning a six-figure contract with the UFC. He was also awarded the Performance of the Night award.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
2015
In his official debut as a UFC athlete, Usman faced future contender Leon Edwards on December 19, 2015, at UFC on Fox 17. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
2016
Usman was expected to face two-time Jiu–Jitsu World Champion Sérgio Moraes on May 14, 2016, at UFC 198. However, it was announced on May 1 that Usman had pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Luan Chagas.
In his first bout of the year, Usman faced Alexander Yakovlev on July 23, 2016, at UFC on Fox 20. He won the one-sided fight via unanimous decision after out-grappling Yakovlev.
Usman faced TUF: Brazil 3 tournament winner Warlley Alves on November 19, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 100. He won the match by unanimous decision for the third-straight time.
2017
Usman faced former long-time KOTC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland on April 8, 2017, at UFC 210. He once again won the fight via unanimous decision.
A rescheduled bout with a Sérgio Moraes on a seven-match unbeaten streak eventually took place on September 16, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 116. Usman won the fight via one-punch knockout in the first round.
Usman was scheduled to face Venator FC Welterweight Champion Emil Weber Meek on December 30, 2017, at UFC 219, however, Meek presented VISA problems and the pair was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 124. Usman won the fight by unanimous decision after out-wrestling his opponent.
2018
Usman was expected to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on May 19, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 129. However, on April 21, Ponzinibbio was pulled from the card due to injury and replaced by ADCC Grappling World Champion and two-time UFC title challenger Demian Maia. After denying all of Maia’s fifteen attempts of takedowns and out-performing his opponent on the feet, Usman won the fight via unanimous decision.
On August 18, it was announced that Usman would serve as a back-up for the UFC 228 main event match between long-time champion Tyron Woodley and undefeated challenger Darren Till.
Usman faced former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos on November 30, 2018, at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale. He won the fight via unanimous decision. This win earned him his second Performance of the Night award.
UFC Welterweight Champion
2019
Riding a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC, Usman next faced UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley on March 2, 2019, in the co-main event at UFC 235. He won the one-sided fight via unanimous decision after dominating his opponent for five rounds to be crowned as the new UFC Welterweight Champion.
Usman made his first title defense and faced long-time rival Colby Covington at UFC 245 on December 14, 2019. Despite both athletes being mostly offensive wrestlers, the fight did not include any grappling and contained high-paced offense in the striking instead. After an often referred to as “slugfest”, Usman was able to knockdown his opponent twice before finishing him with strikes in the fifth round to be declared the winner via technical knockout, which set the record for the latest finish in UFC welterweight history. This fight earned both participants the Fight of the Night award.
2020
Usman was scheduled to defend his title for the second time against long-time teammate and two-time No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Gilbert Burns on July 12, 2020 at UFC 251. Both being originally from the same camp – Sanford MMA – Usman opted to train under Trevor Wittman heading into the fight. On July 3, 2020, it was revealed that Burns tested positive for COVID-19, and he was subsequently removed from the card. On July 5, 2020, it was reported that Jorge Masvidal had stepped in on short notice and served as a replacement for Burns. Usman controlled most of the fight by keeping Masvidal in the clinch, winning via unanimous decision. The card reportedly generated 1.3 million pay-per-view buys in the United States, the most since UFC 229 in October 2018.
2021
Usman was 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 Usman had pulled out from the bout, citing more time needed to recover from undisclosed injuries and the bout was postponed for February 13, 2021, as the headliner for UFC 258. Usman defended his title for the third time, as he won the fight via technical knockout in the third round, surpassing the record of the former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre for the largest win-streak in the division with thirteen. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Personal life
Kamaru and his wife have a daughter, Samirah (born 2014).
Championships and accomplishments
Folkstyle wrestling
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
- NCAA Division II National Championship (174 lbs, 2010)
- NCAA Division II All-American (174 lbs, 2008, 2009, 2010)
- National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
- NAIA National Qualifier (165 lbs, 2007)
- University Interscholastic League
- UIL All-State out of Bowie High School (145 lbs, 2005)
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Welterweight Championship (One time, current)
- Three successful title defenses
- First ever Nigerian-born champion in UFC history
- The Ultimate Fighter 21 tournament winner
- Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Hayder Hassan, Rafael dos Anjos, and Gilbert Burns
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Colby Covington
- Latest finish in UFC Welterweight history vs. Colby Covington
- Latest knockout in UFC title fight history vs. Colby Covington
- Most consecutive wins in welterweight division (13)
- UFC Welterweight Championship (One time, current)
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2019 December Fight of the Month vs. Colby Covington
- 2021 February Fight of the Month vs. Gilbert Burns
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | hide | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 matches | 18 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 8 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 9 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 18–1 | Gilbert Burns | TKO (punches) | UFC 258 | February 13, 2021 | 3 | 0:34 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 17–1 | Jorge Masvidal | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 251 | July 12, 2020 | 5 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 16–1 | Colby Covington | TKO (punches) | UFC 245 | December 14, 2019 | 5 | 4:10 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 15–1 | Tyron Woodley | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 235 | March 2, 2019 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won the UFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 14–1 | Rafael dos Anjos | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale | November 30, 2018 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 13–1 | Demian Maia | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman | May 19, 2018 | 5 | 5:00 | Santiago, Chile | |
| Win | 12–1 | Emil Weber Meek | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi | January 14, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 11–1 | Sérgio Moraes | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch | September 16, 2017 | 1 | 2:48 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 10–1 | Sean Strickland | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 210 | April 8, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Buffalo, New York, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 | Warlley Alves | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira 2 | November 19, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–1 | Alexander Yakovlev | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Holm vs. Shevchenko | July 23, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Leon Edwards | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2 | December 19, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Orlando, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Hayder Hassan | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians Finale | July 12, 2015 | 2 | 1:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won The Ultimate Fighter 21 Welterweight Tournament. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 5–1 | Marcus Hicks | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 33 | July 18, 2014 | 2 | 5:00 | Allen, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Lenny Lovoto | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 30 | April 4, 2014 | 3 | 1:04 | New Mexico, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Steven Rodriguez | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 27 | January 31, 2014 | 1 | 1:31 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Rashid Abdullah | TKO (punches) | VFC 41 | December 14, 2013 | 1 | 3:49 | Ralston, Nebraska, United States | Catchweight (180 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 1–1 | Jose Caceres | Submission (rear-naked choke) | CFA 11 | May 24, 2013 | 1 | 3:47 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | David Glover | TKO (punches) | RFA 5 | November 30, 2012 | 2 | 4:50 | Kearney, Nebraska, United States | Welterweight debut. |
| Exhibition record breakdown | show | |
|---|---|---|
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2–0 | Steve Carl | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians | June 17, 2015 (airdate) | 2 | 5:00 | Coconut Creek, Florida, United States | The Ultimate Fighter 21 semifinals round. |
| Win | 1–0 | Michael Graves | Decision (majority) | April 22, 2015 (airdate) | 2 | 5:00 | The Ultimate Fighter 21 quarterfinals round. |
Freestyle record
| Senior Freestyle Matches | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | Location |
| 2012 US Olympic Trials Qualifier DNP at 84 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 35–26 |  Evan Brown |
1–3, 1–1 | March 31 – April 1, 2012 | 2012 US Olympic Trials Qualifier | Cedar Falls, Iowa |
| Win | 35–25 | Ed Richmond |
Fall | |||
| Loss | 34–25 | Jake Herbert |
2–5, 1–5 | |||
| 2012 Dave Schultz M. International DNP at 84 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 34–24 |  Narsingh Yadav |
1–2, 1–5 | February 2–4, 2012 | 2012 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Win | 34–23 | Evan Brown |
1–0, 1–0 | |||
| Win | 33–23 |  Valentin Sofiadi |
2–0, 2–0 | |||
| Win | 32–23 |  Alex Burk |
5–2, 2–1 | |||
| Loss | 31–23 | Deron Winn |
Fall | |||
| Win | 31–22 | Kurt Brenner |
0–8, 6–4, 2–0 | |||
| 2011 US Olympic Trials Qualifier 4th at 84 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 30–22 | Bryce Hasseman |
0–1, 0–1 | December 3, 2011 | 2011 US Olympic Trials Qualifier | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Win | 30–21 | Travis Paulson |
INJ | |||
| Win | 29–21 | James Yonushonis |
4–2, 2–1 | |||
| Win | 28–21 | Doug Umbehauer |
1–1, 2–0 | |||
| Win | 27–21 | Kurt Brenner |
1–0, 5–2 | |||
| Loss | 26–21 | Terry Madden |
0–4, 1–4 | |||
| Win | 26–20 | Pat Downey |
1–1, 3–3, 4–0 | |||
| 2011 NYAC Holiday International Open DNP at 84 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 25–20 | Kirk Smith |
1–1, 0–3 | November 11–13, 2011 | 2011 NYAC Holiday International Open Tournament | New York City, New York |
| Win | 25–19 | Mike Tamillow |
2–1, 3–0 | |||
| Loss | 24–19 |  Jaime Espinal |
0–4, 4–6 | |||
| 2011 Sunkist Kids International Open DNP at 84 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 24–18 | Mack Lewnes |
2–2, 0–6 | October 28–30, 2011 | 2011 Sunkist Kids International Open Tournament | Mesa, Arizona |
| Loss | 24–17 | Raymond Jordan |
0–4, 1–3 | |||
| Win | 24–16 | Erich Schmidtke |
3–0, 1–2, 3–1 | |||
2011 NP Regionals  at 96 kg |
||||||
| Loss | 23–16 | Luke Lofthouse |
1–1, 4–1, 0–1 | May 12–14, 2011 | 2011 Northern Plains Regional Championships | Waterloo, Iowa |
| Win | 23–15 | Mike Schmidt |
3–3, 7–0, 7–2 | |||
| 2011 US University Nationals 7th at 84 kg | ||||||
| Win | 22–15 | Kevin Bailey |
TF 7–0, 6–0 | April 20–23, 2011 | 2011 US University National Championships | Akron, Ohio |
| Loss | 21–15 | Max Thomusseit |
3–1, 0–1, 0–1 | |||
| Win | 21–14 | Ryan Loder |
6–0, 1–3, 2–1 | |||
| Win | 20–14 | Keith Witt |
TF 6–0, 6–0 | |||
| Win | 19–14 | Ben Bennett |
2–0, 6–0 | |||
| Loss | 18–14 | Nick Heflin |
0–1, 1–3 | |||
| Win | 18–13 | Cole Shafer |
6–0, 2–0 | |||
| 2011 US Open DNP at 84 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 17–13 | Raymond Jordan |
0–2, 0–2 | April 7–10, 2011 | 2011 US Open National Championships | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Loss | 17–12 | Bryce Hasseman |
1–1, 0–3 | |||
| Win | 17–11 | Evan Brown |
0–1, 2–1, 1–0 | 2011 US Open National Championships – Qualifier | ||
| Win | 16–11 | Christopher Honeycutt |
1–1, 2–3, 2–1 | |||
| Win | 15–11 | Kaleb Young |
3–2, 1–0 | |||
| Loss | 14–11 | Nick Heflin |
0–1, 4–1, 0–1 | |||
| Win | 14–10 | Dwight Middleton |
TF 6–0, 6–0 | |||
| 2011 Dave Schultz M. International DNP at 84 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 13–10 | Jaime Espinal |
Fall | February 2–5, 2011 | 2011 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Win | 13–9 | James Yonushonis |
TF 5–0, 8–2 | |||
| Loss | 12–9 |  Shinya Matsumoto |
2–4, 1–4 | |||
| Win | 12–8 | Jake Landals |
5–0, 7–0 | |||
| Win | 11–8 | James Reynolds |
4–1, 7–0 | |||
| 2010 NYAC International Open DNP at 84 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 10–8 | Raymond Jordan |
Fall | November 20–21, 2010 | 2010 NYAC International Open Tournament | New York City, New York |
| Win | 10–7 | Jason Lapham |
1–0, 3–0 | |||
| Win | 9–7 | Robert Isley |
2–1, 4–2 | |||
| Loss | 8–7 | Keith Gavin |
1–0, 1–2, 0–2 | |||
| Win | 8–6 |  Vitaliy Horodnytskyy |
2–0, 2–1 | |||
| 2010 University World Championships 8th at 84 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 7–6 |  Giedrius Morkis |
Fall | October 30, 2010 | 2010 University World Championships |  Torino, Italy |
| Loss | 7–5 |  Piotr Ianulov |
0–6 | |||
| Win | 7–4 | Alex Burk |
9–2 | |||
| 2010 US University World Team Trials 5th at 74 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 6–4 | Adam Hall |
2–0, 0–1, 2–4 | May 28–29, 2010 | 2010 US University World Team Trials | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Win | 6–3 | Albert White |
2–1, 2–0 | |||
| Loss | 5–3 | Jon Reader |
0–4, 1–5 | |||
| Win | 5–2 | John Paul O`Connor |
0–3, 4–3, 5–0 | |||
| Win | 4–2 | Matt Ballweg |
5–1, 6–0 | |||
| 2010 US Open DNP at 74 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 3–2 | David Bonin |
1–2, 4–0, 3–3 | April 22–24, 2010 | 2010 US Open National Championships | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Loss | 3–1 | Travis Paulson |
3–1, 0–1, 0–6 | |||
| Win | 3–0 | Derek Peperas |
INJ | 2010 US Open National Championships – Qualifier | ||
| Win | 2–0 | David Foxen |
TF 6–0, 7–0 | |||
| Win | 1–0 | Michael Mitchell |
3–5, 3–2, 6–0 | |||
NCAA record
| NCAA Division II Championships Matches | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | ||
2010 NCAA (DII) Championships  at 174 lbs |
|||||||
| Win | 11–2 | Luke Rynish | 5–4 | March 13, 2010 | 2010 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships | ||
| Win | 10–2 | Christopher Barrick | 6–5 | ||||
| Win | 9–2 | Aaron Denson | 2–0 | ||||
| Win | 8–2 | Ben Becker | 9–2 | ||||
| 2009 NCAA (DII) Championships at 174 lbs |
|||||||
| Loss | 7–2 | Brett Hunter | 2–3 | March 14, 2009 | 2009 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships | ||
| Win | 7–1 | Ross Taplin | 2–0 | ||||
| Win | 6–1 | Jarret Hall | 4–2 | ||||
| Win | 5–1 | Luke Rynish | 8–5 | ||||
2008 NCAA (DII) Championships  at 174 lbs |
|||||||
| Win | 4–1 | Josh Shields | 3–2 | March 15, 2008 | 2008 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships | ||
| Win | 3–1 | Chris Gibbs | 4–1 | ||||
| Loss | 2–1 | Albert Miles | 2–6 | ||||
| Win | 2–0 | Tyler Tubbs | SV–1 7–5 | ||||
| Win | 1–0 | Chris Gibbs | MD 10–0 | ||||
Pay-per-view bouts
| Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFC 251 | Usman vs. Masvidal | 12 July 2020 | Flash Forum | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 1,300,000 |