"This young boy from Nigeria, his dreams are coming true" - Manager Ali Abdelaziz on news of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman's role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is all set to make his big screen debut. Speaking of which, Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz has put forth his take regarding the same.
As noted by Daniel Cormier during the UFC 277 Weigh-In Show, Usman will appear in the upcoming Marvel movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The aforesaid movie is a sequel to the blockbuster superhero movie Black Panther, which was released in 2018. The critically-acclaimed 2018 movie starred legendary actor Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther.
Intriguingly, back in 2018, Kamaru Usman hinted at wanting to appear in a Black Panther movie, potentially as T’Challa. Usman’s Instagram post concerning this has been displayed below:
Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 at the age of 43 after bravely battling colon cancer for four years. The sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is expected to continue the superhero story after the passing of King T’Challa as the leaders of Wakanda continue to protect their nation.
During the first trailer launch for the highly-anticipated sequel earlier this month, the cast paid homage to Boseman. The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie is set to be released on November 11.
Ryan Coogler pays tribute to Chadwick Boseman at #MarvelSDCC. #BlackPanther #SDCC https://t.co/xOQwlitJC9
Presently, it’s unclear as to what Kamaru Usman’s role in the movie will be. Nevertheless, the MMA community has been set abuzz by the news of him being cast in what’s expected to be one of the biggest movies of 2022.
MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz posted a tweet wherein he’s addressed Usman’s role in the movie and expressed his respect for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’s’ accomplishment. Abdelaziz’s tweet featured an image of Usman as T’Challa.
The statement attached to Abdelaziz’s tweet reads as follows:
“Never listen to nobody who says you can’t dream, because this young boy from Nigeria, his dreams are coming true, all you have to do is work hard @USMAN84kg”
Never listen to nobody who says you can’t dream, because this young boy from Nigeria, his dreams are coming true, all you have to do is work hard @USMAN84kg https://t.co/lpohWsGVBa
Geoff Neal on Kamaru Usman’s upcoming fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 268
Reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is scheduled to defend his title in a rematch against Leon Edwards at UFC 278 on August 20. Their first fight transpired in December 2015 and witnessed Usman win via unanimous decision.
IT IS OFFICIAL! 😍
@USMAN84kg will defend his UFC welterweight title against @Leon_edwardsmma on August 20th at #UFC278 🏆
This has been a long time coming 🙌
#UFC #MMA https://t.co/mC94I9kFCA
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, UFC welterweight contender Geoff Neal discussed the Usman-Edwards rematch. He indicated that judging Edwards’ capabilities is tough, as the British hasn’t been active enough. Furthermore, he lauded Usman for consistently evolving. Picking Usman to win, Neal said:
“I haven't seen enough from Leon lately to really make a judge on his skills right now. But Usman... I thought he peaked, but he's now getting better. So, you know what I mean. I have [Usman] winning that fight."
Watch Neal's assessment below: