Kamaru Usman Bio: Age, Wife, Dad, Record, Net Worth

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Profile Summary

Name: Kamaru Usman
Year of Birth: 1987
Birthplace: Edo State, Nigeria
Age: 34

Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-born mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler, and folkstyle wrestler. He is the current UFC Welterweight Champion and the first African to attain such a position.

Early Life

Kamarudeen Kamaru Usman was born May 11, 1987, in Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria, to Muhammed Nasiru Usman, a major general in the Nigerian army, and his wife, a teacher.

Growing up, he lived in Benin City until his father relocated to the US, where he studied and became a pharmacist in the United States.

Subsequently, the whole family moved to Della’s Texas, including Usman, eight years old, and Kashetu and Mohammed.

Wrestling Career

Usman’s wrestling career began in his sophomore year while in high school at Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas.

He joined the school’s team and had a compiling record of 53–3 in high school wrestling. He ended up in third place at the Texas state championships.

After high school, Usman was accepted into William Penn University, where he continued wrestling and made it as an NAIA national tournament qualifier in 2007, however as a result of a snowstorm, he couldn’t meet up with half of his team and head coach, who had earlier left for the tournament without him.

As a result of being unable to attend the game, Usman left William Penn just after a year in the school and transferred to the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK).

UNK had earlier tried to recruit him before now, and under his new team, Usman helped win the first-ever team title for the University in 2008.

While in UNK, he was top 3 for three years and was a two-time national finalist.

In 2010, he became the NCAA Division II national champion at 174 pounds, ending the season with 44–1 and 30 straight wins.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

In November 2012, Usman made his debut as a professional MMA. He earned a 5—1 record while competing for several regional promotions.

In 2015, he decided to try out for The Ultimate Fighter 21 and won against Titan FC Welterweight Champion Michael Graves via majority decision.

He wrestled with former WSOF Welterweight Champion Steve Carl for the semifinals and won the fight via unanimous decision, qualifying him for the finals.

For the finals held on July 12, 2015, Usman fought against Hayder Hassan and won via submission in the second round.

This earned him a six-figure contract with the UFC and an award for the Performance of the Night.

The years that followed had Usman dominating the UFC, pulling several victories. However, he desired to be the UFC Welterweight Champion which Tryon Woodley then held.

This dream became a reality on March 2, 2019, as he faced Tryon Woodley in the UFC 235 main event.

Usman emerged the winner via unanimous decision, earned the UFC Welterweight Champion title, and became the African to win the title.

Height And Body Measurements

Kamaru Usman is 6 ft 0 inches tall and weighs about 77kg.

Relationship

Usman Kamaru is in a relationship with a Brazilian lady with whom he has a daughter “Samirah,” born in 2014.

Personal life

Usman Kamaru’s father, Muhammed Nasiru Usman, was convicted in May 2010 for health care fraud, money laundering, related to a health care fraud scheme, and other charges.

He was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment and was released from FCI Seagoville on March 16, 2021.