5 Defining Moments: Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman climbed the Ultimate Fighting Championship ladder rung by painstaking rung, knowing all the while that one slip could unravel everything.

The 32-year-old Auchi, Nigeria, native first set foot inside the Octagon in 2015, “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series serving as his conduit. Usman proceeded to rattle off nine consecutive victories—all by knockout, submission or unanimous decision—before sinking his hooks into the undisputed welterweight championship. Now on a 15-fight winning streak, the Henri Hooft disciple has staked his claim as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best, even as Jorge Masvidal and other would-be successors nip at his heels.

Like most champions, Usman has his share of defining moments. Here are five that stand out:

1. Lesson in Humility

If Usman thought he was invincible, Jose Caceres taught him otherwise. Caceres submitted “The Nigerian Nightmare” with a standing rear-naked choke in the first round of their Championship Fighting Alliance 11 confrontation on May 24, 2013 in Coral Gables, Florida. The end came 3:47 into Round 1. Usman executed an early takedown, applied his ground-and-pound and advanced to full mount, as their encounter began to take the shape of a rout. However, Caceres stayed calm under duress, forced a scramble, made his way to his counterpart’s back and cinched the rear-naked choke to coax the tapout. Having occurred in Usman’s second professional appearance, it remains his only career defeat.

2. Reality Check

Usman punched his ticket to the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he submitted Hayder Hassan with a second-round arm-triangle choke in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 21 welterweight final on July 12, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Hassan bowed out 79 seconds into Round 2. Usman struck for repeated takedowns and neutralized the American Top Team export on the mat, the reality of the situation setting in for all involved. Hassan wobbled “The Nigerian Nightmare” with an uppercut early in the second round, only to surrender yet another takedown. Usman climbed to full mount, locked in the choke and tightened his squeeze. Hassan struggled to break free but elected to tap once he started to lose consciousness.

3. Front of the Line

Degree of difficulty was of no concern for Usman, who cleared every obstacle the UFC placed in his path with room to spare. The Hard Knocks 365 representative improved to 9-0 inside the Octagon, as he bowled over Rafael dos Anjos and claimed a unanimous decision in “The Ultimate Fighter 28” Finale headliner on Nov. 30, 2018 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. All three judges sided with the once-beaten Usman: 50-43, 49-45 and 48-47. The statistical data was staggering. Usman completed 12 of his 18 attempted takedowns and outperformed dos Anjos by wide margins in total strikes (227-84) and significant strikes (130-62). The welterweight powerhouse also executed seven guard passes and defended two submission attempts from dos Anjos, a longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. With that, the UFC had its newest No. 1 contender at 170 pounds.

4. Regime Change

In a performance that fell somewhere between sublime and flawless, Usman seized the undisputed welterweight championship with a one-sided unanimous decision over Tyron Woodley in the UFC 235 co-main event on March 2, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The scorecards told a tale of utter domination: 50-44, 50-44 and 50-45. Usman dismantled the two-time NCAA All-American wrestler in the clinch and consolidated his takedowns with punishing ground-and-pound. By the time the fight reached the championship rounds, Woodley seemed resigned to his fate. Usman flirted with a finish in Round 4, where he cut loose with a volley of uppercuts and hooks along the fence. Though Woodley survived, a changing of the guard was inevitable. Usman connected on 336 total strikes in the five-round affair—the second-highest total in UFC history.

5. Calm in the Face of Chaos

Colby Covington’s ego finally wrote a check his body could not cash. Usman vanquished the American Top Team lightning rod with fifth-round punches to retain his welterweight title in the UFC 245 headliner on Dec. 14, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Covington succumbed to blows 4:10 into Round 5, as referee Marc Goddard opted to rescue him from further abuse. Neither man attempted a takedown, choosing instead to leave their amateur wrestling credentials in the dressing room. Usman was credited with a career-best 175 significant strikes landed, one of which rattled the challenger in the third round. Covington responded with 143 such strikes of his own, and while he was the busier fighter, he lacked the firepower he needed to give the champion true pause. He hit the deck twice in Round 5 before a burst of Usman hammerfists did him in.