Watch: Kamaru Usman visits Nigeria to help organize first official MMA event in country
Kamaru Usman recently visited his motherland Nigeria to help organize the country's first official MMA event. The event has been named 'Face off' Fight Night 1 and through it, Usman intends to lay out the roadmap for the growth of MMA in the region.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' revealed he met with his partners to finalize the event and brainstorm about future projects similar to this in Nigeria. In Anatomy of a Fighter's 'Motherland Diaries' series on YouTube, Usman said he wants to give something back to the community and the sport that's given him so much in life.
"I came here because whether they appreciate me or not, I had a goal and I had something that I wanted to do and that's to be able to start something that could put the next generation on. That's basically something I learned early when I started this sport is, you know, Rashad Evans telling me that 'you need to pay it forward. Whatever you do you got to pay it forward.' That was my goal, to come here and lay the foundation to be able to one day create something that's going to put a lot of different people on in a lot of different ways. Just had a meeting with the partners to finalize this event and what we want to do and then of course brainstorm a little bit of what we hope to do in the future," Usman said.
Check out the first episode of Motherland Diaries below:
Lagos Food Bank visit instilled Kamaru Usman with sense of responsibility
Some photos of Kamaru Usman (@USMAN84kg) in his native Nigeria today, courtesy of his manager Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00). Diversity of UFC champions and many of them returning to their roots and inspiring people there is one of the best things in the sport right now. https://t.co/o4k7XcnTCJ
Back in June, Kamaru Usman visited Nigeria and it was during his appearance at the Lagos Food Bank when the UFC welterweight champion realized the impact he could have on people back in his homeland. Usman was overwhelmed by the love shown to him by his fellow countrymen. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' also understood the position he's in and how he can give back to society.
Video of Kamaru Usman in his native Nigeria today, courtesy of @USMAN84kg. https://t.co/u7YKYQJYKS
“It’s surreal to me. [It’s] magical, and just to be able to see the influence and the impact that I have on the whole country - not just the country, but also the whole continent of Africa, it’s amazing, and it’s humbling, very humbling for me,” Usman told UFC.com.