Kamaru Usman revealed that a conversation with his mother early in his UFC career nearly didn't happen, as he came close to leaving the sport altogether. His mother urged him to keep working and stay the course, advice Usman says he is grateful he followed.
Kamaru Usman has opened up about a pivotal moment early in his UFC career when he nearly walked away from mixed martial arts entirely, crediting a conversation with his mother as the reason he stayed.
The welterweight veteran, now 39 years old and competing out of Kill Cliff FC, revealed that his mother urged him to keep working and trust the process at a time when he was on the verge of leaving the sport. Usman says he is grateful he took that advice to heart.
That decision to persevere proved consequential. Usman, known as "The Nigerian Nightmare," carries a professional record of 21 wins and 4 losses and currently sits ranked eighth in the UFC welterweight division. The American fighter has built a reputation as one of the most complete welterweights of his generation, standing six feet tall with a 76-inch reach and attacking from a switch stance. His numbers reflect a relentless, well-rounded game — he lands 4.36 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy while also averaging 2.82 takedowns per 15 minutes, a combination that made him exceptionally difficult to gameplan against during his championship run.
Why it matters
- Usman's story adds rare personal context to one of welterweight's defining careers of the modern era
- At 39 and ranked eighth, his path back toward title contention remains a storyline for the 170-pound division
- The account underlines how close the sport came to losing a fighter who reshaped the welterweight landscape
