Kamaru "The Nigerian Nightmare" Usman

Growing up in Nigeria, Usman was separated from his father, serving in the army, and didn't see him until he was four years old. He remembers walking with his mother, raising three children on her own, to the well to fetch water. Every morning, he and his brother would walk 2-3 miles with their mother to sell clothes, working hard to make ends meet. Usman had been inspired by the American Dream and decided to bring his family to the United States. He first came to America at age 8, where he saw snow for the first time.

"When we first landed in Texas, it was one of the first times it snowed in Texas, I remember saying, what is this white stuff, and putting my tongue out the window" - Kamaru Usman

It was not easy for Kamaru Usman to adjust to the school system in the U.S. He remembers being told to "go back to your own country" several times, but one incident stood out. Riding the bus, a kid behind him started bullying him. When he was told that the bully was on the wrestling team, Kamaru had never felt so helpless.

"I felt so powerless at that moment, so I said, you know what, I'm going to change that" - Kamaru Usman on being bully

Kamaru joined the wrestling team, and though success didn't come at first, he just kept showing up to practice to try to get better. And eventually, success started to find him. But then again, he was an immigrant kid with Nigerian parents, and, normally, their parents hope their kids become doctors or engineers. Kamaru's dad highly disapproved of him being on the wrestling team. In fact, during the first several years, Usman had to lie to his father.

Without too much market research, his father-a pharmacist-opened the ambulance business. He had one external firm doing all the billing for the transports, which eventually embezzled money, prompting a civil investigation into Kamaru's father's company. Kamaru said that his dad eventually closed down the business. "He got out of that eventually," Kamaru explained.

"They finally dropped the investigation due to no evidence pointing directly at him. He even signed some NDA.". He moved on and chose to do something else.

However, two years later, the same billing firm was caught again, this time committing the same fraud with other businesses. In a bid to reduce their jail time, the firm's executives offered to implicate Kamaru's father. They struck a deal with prosecutors, and Kamaru's father was offered a plea bargain. But he refused, confident that he had done nothing wrong and determined to fight for justice in court.

This decision brought in a big obstacle: his accounts were frozen, and he didn't have the money to hire a lawyer. With a very overworked and low-paid appointed attorney, he lost the case and received 15 years in prison.

"They got my hair cut off, everything is in orange, I was like, this is it, they just took me out of their (his family) life" - Muhammed Usman (Kamaru's father) on being sentence to prison

Kamaru felt the weight of the world on his shoulders and contemplated quitting school to return home to help his mother. He felt that the justice system had failed his family. He couldn't seem to understand how murderers received lighter sentences or how big corporations committing billions in fraud got away with minimal sentences, like six months of house arrest. This was the injustice that fueled his determination. He realized he couldn't afford to fail. He knew he had to find a way to rise above, and that's when he decided to pursue a career as an MMA fighter.

This path, however, was also not without its challenges, especially given that it came without the approval of his father. To this day, his dad still disapproves of his wrestling career, although Kamaru knew he must follow his passion. When he went to visit his dad in prison, he told his dad that fighting was what made him happy. Through the glass, his father, always strict yet loving, gave him his blessing: "If this is what you want to do, you have my blessing." The moment was pivotal and sealed his resolve.

knowing that his father was in prison with only cable TV available, Kamaru knew those pay-per-view fights were out of reach for his father to watch. So he made a decision: he would focus on fighting in events that air on cable TV, so his father could follow his journey. He chose the path with less money and fewer options, knowing full well this but finding it worth his while that his father could witness this success.

His hard work and determination eventually paid off as he made it to the UFC, where long, impressive performances started to dominate. He rose to the top, proudly representing the Nigerian flag in every fight, driven by a promise he had made to himself and his father. He vowed not only to make his father proud but to honor and inspire the entire nation of Nigeria.

"His fights were the highlight while I was in prison, inmates will come by and tell me, hey your son will be a champion one day." - Muhammed Usman

Nine years after his father's sentence that Kamaru finally earned his shot at the UFC title, facing off against dominant champion Tyron Woodley. The only problem with a title fight in the UFC was this: it would be pay-per-view, not cable television. Kamaru knew his father wouldn't be able to watch him, but he couldn't let that stop him. All the sacrifices, struggles, and hard work he had put in led him to this one moment—25 minutes against the champion. He was determined not to let his family down.

Kamaru's brother immediately called his father, saying, "Your son has become a world champion," after the fight. It was a triumph not just for Kamaru, but for his entire family-that phone call symbolized years of toil and dedication.

"The joy that he felt, I can feel it all the way through the phone, I just couldn't control it, I just let go, I just can't help but cry" - Kamaru Usman on call with his father in prison

This now meant the target was well and truly set on the back of the new king, Kamaru Usman, who would face the bitterest rival in Colby Covington nine months later after winning the belt. Intense were the build-up moments toward the fight, while during this training camp, it was an accumulation of these years' pressure that eventually got to the body of Kamaru. The degeneration in his knee was so bad that he had not been able to walk on pavement anymore due to the pain, hence he prepared and walked on grass for so long.

Drama in the family reached its climax when Kamaru's brother's son drowned in a pool and died, leaving them with lots of pain. These challenges notwithstanding, Kamaru still pushed himself, determined to defend his title.

The fight with Colby Covington turned out to be one of the great battles of the year: both fighters went toe-to-toe in a merciless, fast-paced war. Never one to let anything hold him back, Kamaru kept his poise and resilience until he pulled off a dramatic finish to retain his title. His win wasn't just about skill and toughness inside the octagon but also about how he could rise above personal and physical adversity.

"My family went through a great tragedy, my brother's son, baby Nash, you might be gone, but you are not forgotten, your daddy and your uncle will be fighting in your honor each and every time" - Kamaru Usman after beating Colby Covington

Kamaru Usman was on a podcast, telling his incredible story, but what he didn't realize at the time was that it would be one of the best decisions he ever made. A lawyer, who had listened to Kamaru tell his journey of how much his family had suffered, stepped forward to appeal his father's case. And so, eleven tortuous years later, came the day his father walked out of prison.

In 2021, Kamaru was able for the first time to be face-to-face with his dad in a live event performance. That night, he finished the fight with a legend, knocking out top contender Jorge Masvidal en route to a "Knockout of the Year" finish. A moment that encapsulated everything that had been his struggle and triumph, the weight that his family's journey was.

Kamaru continued to reign at the top by defeating nearly every top contender in the division, some of them even twice, each win more spectacular than the last. His dominance led him to the number one pound-for-pound fighter at one point in time, cementing his status among the all-time greats to have ever stepped inside the octagon. His story was not only one of personal achievement but of perseverance, resilience, and a legacy that would inspire generations to come.

"To be considered the pound-for-pound best, you have to be dominant, and I’ve been dominant. I’ve been doing this for a long time. And I’ve been beating the best in the world. When I step into that cage, I know I’m the best." - Kamaru Usman