Kamaru Usman is No More a Champion.

Last weekend, before we got into intense week, only one thing was on my mind. Kamaru Usman regaining his UFC Welterweight Championship. Let me give you a brief background of the situation, since I know the readers are not avid MMA fans like I am.

Kamaru Usman made his UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship – the Global Leader in MMA Promotion, and pretty much a monopsony) in 2015. Prior to that year, I was what MMA fans refer to as a “Casual – someone who only watches MMA in passing; as opposed to a barcode who is pretty much obsessed like I am now.”

In any case, he was the first Nigerian MMA fighter to actually fight as a Nigerian (he is Nigerian American, and the other Nigerian Americans before him had flipped flopped on choosing to represent their home country or their current country of residence). He had just won Season 21 of an MMA reality show called The Ultimate Fighter, which guaranteed him a promotional contract with the UFC.

As soon as I found out that a Nigerian, representing Nigeria was in the UFC, I became very interested. Eventually I found out that he lived in Dallas, which was where I lived at the time, and my colleagues used to promote his after parties after he won fights (I never met him at any one of those parties but it feels like I did). Slowly, slowly, I started to get really into it and I became (alongside many of my social media cohort) the de facto defender of his name and image online.

By the time he was ranked in the top 10 and working his way up to the title, I was fully invested in MMA and the UFC (I actually run a separate fight media company so check it out). I still remember the day he won the title from former Dominant Champion, Tyron Woodley. I sped home from an event just to catch the fight.

Kamaru Usman was UFC Welterweight Champion from March 2019 to August 2022, and those years were glorious, glorious years for all Nigerian and African MMA fans. He defended his belt 5 times, and a month after he became champion, Israel Adesanya also became a champion (he also lost his belt in 2022). The Cameroonian Heavyweight Francis Ngannou became UFC champ a year later (he vacated his belt earlier this year) and all 3 of them were referred to as “The 3 Kings – 3 African born champions in the same era of the UFC.” What a dream we lived.



The day Kamaru Usman lost his belt to Jamaican born, Leon Edwards, who he’d previously beat on his way up in the UFC, I was sick. It was the first and only UFC event I’ve ever attended and it was supposed to be a birthday treat (my birthday is August 5). Usman had been winning the fight comfortably and with just over a minute to go, he ate an amazing head kick from Leon Edwards that put him out COLD!

I actually cried!


He was so dominant in the fight that the loss felt like a fluke so I couldn’t wait for the rematch. In fact, if not that the fight was scheduled when we initially were supposed to start Intense Week (March 18) which ultimately became Election Day, I’d have been in London LIVE to watch my champion regain HIS title.

It was not to be though. He lost a close decision and, given his age and the injuries over the years, it seems like his time is up.

He will always be my champion, Nigeria’s Champion, Africa’s Champion.

We move on to April 8, where Israel Adesanya looks to regain his own title against a thorn in his side who he’s already lost 3 times to.