In 2012, Kamaru Usman made his pro debut in MMA in what would be the start of an incredibly successful career.
Like many martial artists that grew up in the United States, he came to the sport via a wrestling background – but there weren’t many role models for him to look up to.
Having been born in Nigeria, Kamaru and his family moved to Dallas, Texas when he was just eight years old, which was a culture shock for him at the time.
Usman eventually found the path that would lead him to become a UFC champion, thanks to some peers who inspired him.
Kamaru Usman Details Daniel Cormier Meeting That Gave Him Something To Strive For
On a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman and Henry Cejudo were joined by former UFC champ-champ Daniel Cormier.
Being eight years older, Cormier was someone that Usman looked up to when he first encountered him via wrestling.
“DC” and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal weren’t just incredibly impressive wrestlers that inspired “The Nigerian Nightmare”, they were people that he could relate to.
Usman told the story about the first time that he met Cormier in person, having seen him compete in wrestling, and how that impacted his own life and career trajectory.
“We saw you guys [Cormier and Lawal] trying to sneak in, trying to get in to train, to practice while there was a break, so we ran up and we was like, ‘Yo, King Mo!’… you didn’t give me no damn hug. I would tell you this though, you did dap us up and you were just like, talked a little to us for a little bit, asked us what, and then my friend was like, ‘Yo I know what you did, I saw what you did at real pro wrestling.’ And I remember you going, ‘What you see?’
“And you just joked with us and it was just that little moment, that little interaction that was so meaningful. We was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s these guys that look like us, they deal with similar circumstances that we have to deal with in this sport, and they’re at that level. Oh we can get there’. And I can’t tell you what that did for me.”
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