Kamaru Usman News
VIDEO | Kamaru Usman explains 'Marty from Nebraska' nickname
Drake Riggs - March 19, 2019
“[My high school wrestling coach] is reading the roll sheet calling names and he goes, ‘Kfam..Kamar… Who the? Who is this kid? Who the f*ck is this kid?'” Kamaru Usman shared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “And I’m like, ‘That’s me, coach…’ That’s your name?! I’m like yeah, he’s like, ‘I’m not saying that!’ Cause my full name is Kamarudeen. He’s like, ‘I’m not gonna say that! Like, Kamardien, Kamardy… I’m gonna call you Marty,’ And I’m just like, ‘Yeah sure, coach…’ “I’m 5-foot-3, 100-pounds, I’m scared of this guy and I’m like sure. I mean, you’re a kid, you don’t care. You’re gonna have nicknames growing up. Now the whole team’s calling me Marty. I love that coach, he essentially changed the course of my life.
Dana White confirms Colby Covington will get title shot before Jorge Masvidal
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2019
When Jorge Masvidal flattened Darren Till in the UFC London main event, he catapulted back into UFC welterweight title contention, and in the eyes of some fans, even usurped Colby Covington’s spot as the next man in line for Kamaru Usman. Speaking to Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday, UFC President Dana White cleared things up.
Kamaru Usman vows to beat Colby Covington with 'the wrath of every immigrant in this country'
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2019
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington do not like each other. At all. The good news is that it sounds like they’ll get the chance to settle their differences in the cage very soon, and when that time comes, Kamaru Usman is promising some serious comeuppance.
Ali Abdelaziz suggests Usman vs. Masvidal fight, Colby Covington responds in classic fashion
Tom Taylor - March 18, 2019
Last Saturday night, in the main event of UFC London, Jorge Masvidal burst into title contention with a stunning knockout of Darren Till. The knockout was so impressive that Ali Abdelaziz, who manages UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, now wants his fighter to take on Masvidal next instead of Colby Covington. Just spoke to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman's manager Ali Abdelaziz: "We think Jorge Masvidal deserves the next title shot. Not Colby Covington. Colby is a terrible person and doesn't deserve it. Jorge just knocked out Darren Till like that? He should be next."
Fresh out of knee surgery, Kamaru Usman promises beating for 'you know who'
Thomas Taylor - March 12, 2019
Kamaru Usman was the picture of dominance in his welterweight title-winning defeat of Tyron Woodley at UFC 235. That being said, he didn’t leave the Octagon unscathed. During the fight, he injured his knee, and on Tuesday, went under the knife to repair this injury. Moments after coming out of surgery, a still dazed Kamaru Usman took to his Instagram story, where he greeted his ever-expanding fan base and promised he’d be back in action soon.
Ben Askren vows to retire if he gets KO’d by Kamaru Usman
Chris Taylor - March 9, 2019
Ben Askren continues to wreak havoc both inside and outside of the octagon, with his latest target being newly-crowned UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman. “Funky” made his highly anticipated octagon debut earlier this month at UFC 235, where he scored a controversial submission victory over former division title holder Robbie Lawler.
Referee Marc Goddard gives in-depth response to Usman-Woodley backlash
Tom Taylor - March 7, 2019
Kamaru Usman’s unanimous decision defeat of long-time UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley was a performance to remember. Unfortunately, the fight will also be remembered for a few controversial calls from referee Marc Goddard — most notably a handful of controversial stand-ups, issued when Usman was in dominant positions, seemingly working hard. After a comment from MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas on Twitter, referee Marc Goddard issued a lengthy explanation of his calls in this Usman vs. Woodley matchup.
Kamaru Usman broke records in UFC 235 victory over Tyron Woodley
Tom Taylor - March 5, 2019
On Saturday night, Kamaru Usman wrested the UFC welterweight strap from the waist of long-time champion Tyron Woodley. It was a near flawless victory from Usman, who dominated the champion for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory. Some stats collected by Michael Carroll on Twitter, however, reveal Usman’s win was more than just impressive. It was record-breaking.
Colby Covington shares detailed account of altercation with Kamaru Usman, Ali Abdelaziz
Tom Taylor - March 5, 2019
Shortly after UFC 235, former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington had a heated run-in with new welterweight king Kamaru Usman and his manager Ali Abdelaziz. This altercation, which went down in a crowd of innocent bystanders at the Palms casino in Las Vegas, ultimately got violent, as Abdelaziz actually threw a punch at Covington (see the video here). Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Colby Covington detailed his side of the story.
UFC Rankings Update: Kamaru Usman cracks pound for pound top 10
Christopher Taylor - March 4, 2019
The UFC rankings have seen some major changes following the conclusion of this past weekend’s UFC 235 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas. Newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman soared into the pound for pound ranks to #9 (via UFC.ca), this following his dominant decision victory over Tyron Woodley.
The biggest winners from UFC 235
Mike Straus - March 4, 2019
With two title fights and some high profile names to boot, UFC 235 was preceded by some lofty expectations. But thanks to efforts from fighters like Diego Sanchez, Johnny Walker, and Kamaru Usman, it absolutely delivered. Let’s take a look at the biggest winners from the event:
Colby Covington claims Ali Abdelaziz threatened to track him down and murder him
Tom Taylor - March 4, 2019
Shortly after UFC 235, Colby Covington had a heated run-in with new UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and his manager Ali Abdelaziz. This run-in actually ended up getting violent, as Abdelaziz could be seen throwing a punch at Covington in video of the event (see it here). Apparently, however, that’s not where the craziness ended.
VIDEO | Colby Covington gets into scuffle with Ali Abdelaziz, Kamaru Usman
Thomas Taylor - March 3, 2019
New UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman and former interim champion Colby Covington have an extremely heated rivalry. So heated in fact, that they nearly came to blows inside a casino in Las Vegas on Sunday. In fact, punches were actually thrown in this heated encounter — though not by either fighter. Instead, it was Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz who let loose a strike. Usman even seemed to be holding his manager back.
Kamaru Usman and Tyron Woodley share classy exchange after UFC 235 fight
Thomas Taylor - March 3, 2019
Kamaru Usman and Tyron Woodley’s UFC 235 welterweight title fight has now come and gone, with Usman unseating the long-time champion Woodley with a beautifully executed unanimous decision victory. While the two welterweight talents exchanged quite a bit of trash talk before their fight, particularly at the first UFC 235 pre-fight press conference, it’s clear that there’s now plenty of respect between them.
Tyron Woodley makes case for immediate rematch with Kamaru Usman
Tom Taylor - March 3, 2019
Tyron Woodley is no longer the UFC welterweight champion. The Roufusport representative’s reign came to a shocking end in the co-main event of UFC 235 on Saturday night, when he was walloped to a lopsided decision loss by streaking challenger Kamaru Usman. While this Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman fight was not particularly competitive, Woodley hopes that his previous accomplishments might earn him the opportunity. Many other former champions — Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Cody Garbrandt being recent examples — have been granted this kind of opportunity, and Woodley feels he deserves the same chance.
Ben Askren gives harsh assessment of Kamaru Usman's UFC 235 title win
Tom Taylor - March 3, 2019
On Saturday night, in the middle bout of the UFC 235 main card, former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren made a successful UFC debut, weathering an early storm to submit Robbie Lawler late in the first round. Shortly thereafter UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, Askren’s friend and teammate, had a much more difficult night. In a minor upset, Woodley was soundly walloped by his challenger Kamaru Usman for five, lopsided rounds, ultimately surrendering the welterweight strap as a result. Usman’s victory understandably impressed a massive portion of the MMA community — but that does not include Ben Askren.
What's next for the stars of UFC 235?
Cole Shelton - March 3, 2019
UFC 235 went down last night in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card featured two title fights, as Jon Jones sought to defend his light heavyweight title against Anthony Smith and Tyron Woodley put his welterweight title on the line against Kamaru Usman. Additionally, Ben Askren finally made his long-awaited UFC debut, taking on former UFC champ Robbie Lawler. In the end, Jones beat Smith by unanimous decision, while Usman dominated Woodley to hear ‘And New.’ Askren also locked up a controversial submission over Lawler to get his first UFC win.
Tyron Woodley updates on planned moved to middleweight after UFC 235 loss to Kamaru Usman
Tom Taylor - March 3, 2019
Tyron Woodley is no longer the UFC welterweight champion. After a truly impressive reign, the long-time champion was unseated in the co-main event of UFC 235 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, surrendering the title to ferocious challenger Kamaru Usman via unanimous decision loss. Ahead of this fight, Tyron Woodley repeatedly floated the idea of a future move to middleweight. His plan, he said, was defeat Usman and Colby Covington, and then head north in search of a second title.