"That made me feel more complete at that time" - Kamaru Usman reveals fascinating story of him only accepting UFC fights that aired on Fox Sports 1
Kamaru Usman has revealed a heartwarming story about him, his father Muhammed Usman and their connection with FOX Sports 1.
The reigning UFC welterweight champion recently appeared with his family members, including his father, on The Steve Harvey Show. During the broadcast, Kamaru Usman revealed that he previously lobbied for his fights to be booked on cards that would be aired on FOX Sports 1 so his father could watch them while in prison.
Explaining his decision to only fight on UFC on FOX Sports 1, Usman said:
“Well, after I went to go visit him, you know, the first few times, I realized that in one of the rooms, in one of the visitation rooms, they had TVs in there. So, they could watch, and I could see some of the channels; Fox Sports 1. Back then, UFC was mainly FOX Sports 1. And so, I kind of thought about it, and I wasn’t in the UFC yet. I thought about it and I said, ‘Oh, you guys get this channel’. And he told me, ‘Yes, we get this channel. We watch this here’. And so, whenever I’d get a call for a fight, when my manager would get that call, first thing I was gonna ask is, ‘Is it on FOX Sports 1?’ And then, if he told me it’s on (UFC) Fight Pass. No, I don’t want that fight. I’m okay. Or if it’s on pay-per-view, I don’t want that.”
Usman claimed it made him feel "more complete" at the time.
“Absolutely. I want him to be able to at least see that because that’s given him a part of me that, unfortunately, he’s unable to get. He’s unable to see and be there with me. So, that was him sharing that moment with me. And the biggest part is the feedback that I got from him because he actually got to watch it; and not just him, but him and all his friends and everyone that was around him in that area got to watch that. And so, that made me feel more complete at that time.”
You can watch Kamaru Usman open up on the story in the video below:
Kamaru Usman’s father was released from prison earlier this year and watched his son’s most recent fight octagon-side in April 2021.
Kamaru Usman looks to end 2021 on a high note
Kamaru Usman has had an impressive run in the UFC. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has gone undefeated inside the octagon. Usman also secured back-to-back TKO wins over Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal this year. It goes without saying that Usman's brand value is the highest it has ever been.
Presently, Kamaru Usman is looking to continue his winning ways to close out the year. He is set to put his UFC welterweight title on the line in a rematch against Colby Covington at UFC 268 on November 6th, 2021.