Middleweight · “The Nigerian Nightmare”
Kamaru Usman
21-5-0 UFC 16-4-0
Smothering Control
Chain Wrestling
Takedown-Proof
Granite Chin
6'0"Height
76"Reach
SwitchStance
39Age
4KO wins
1Sub wins
31.3%Finish rate
18:11Avg fight
Skill profile
striking
good
1 read
grappling
solid
1 read
wrestling
not yet read
cardio
not yet read
durability
not yet read
Smothering Control
40% of every fight spent in control position
Chain Wrestling
63 takedowns from 150 attempts · 2.6 landed per 15 min
Takedown-Proof
46 of 51 takedowns stuffed
Granite Chin
dropped once in 363 minutes of cage time · 1 losses by knockout
Career rates — the raw numbers behind the chart
Sig. strikes landed / min4.13
Sig. strikes absorbed / min2.86
Striking accuracy50.9%
Striking defense54.6%
Knockdowns / 15 min0.41
Takedowns / 15 min2.6
Takedown accuracy42.0%
Takedown defense90.2%
Sub attempts / 15 min0.08
Control time40.5%
Record vs .500+ opponents14-4
Insider info
Dricus Du Plessis favored — picked against Kamaru Usman coinflip UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs Usman · July 12, 2026
strikinggood
grapplingsolid
Picked against despite a dominant recent performance, with the analyst noting the pick is genuinely close and could go either way.
Looked great in a dominant recent win after a rough stretch, now moving up to middleweight. Good striker with real power, long straight punches, and sneaky leg kicks he throws from angles opponents don't expect, though late in fights he can get lazy resetting his jab, leaving it low. Grappler the analyst calls solid on the level of excellent takedown defense, backed by a great sprawl and elite scrambling; good takedowns of his own that clear the legs to land in dominant position, chains them together, and stays extremely safe on top, plus a very good cage push that has won entire rounds by itself.
Strengthgood power with deceptive leg kicks
Strengthexcellent takedown defense and a great sprawl
Strengthelite scrambling ability
Strengthgood, well-placed takedowns and very good cage control
Weaknesscan get lazy resetting his jab late in fights, leaving his guard low
Striking trend
Fight history
L Dricus Du Plessis 23-3 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs. Usman · July 18, 2026
92/234Sig. strikes
136/273Absorbed
0/7Takedowns
0:24Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Joaquin Buckley 21-6 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Usman vs. Buckley · June 14, 2025
41/99Sig. strikes
44/148Absorbed
4/13Takedowns
12:57Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
L Khamzat Chimaev 12-0 walk-in Decision - Majority · R3 5:00 — UFC 294: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2 · October 21, 2023
36/66Sig. strikes
38/70Absorbed
0/1Takedowns
0:00Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
L Leon Edwards 20-3 walk-in TITLE Decision - Majority · R5 5:00 — UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 · March 18, 2023
87/205Sig. strikes
120/161Absorbed
4/15Takedowns
5:03Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
L Leon Edwards 19-3 walk-in TITLE KO/TKO · R5 4:04 — UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards · August 20, 2022
83/135Sig. strikes
55/75Absorbed
5/12Takedowns
10:36Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Colby Covington 16-2 walk-in TITLE Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2 · November 6, 2021
123/293Sig. strikes
107/281Absorbed
1/1Takedowns
1:16Control
2Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Jorge Masvidal 35-14 walk-in TITLE KO/TKO · R2 1:02 — UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 · April 24, 2021
21/40Sig. strikes
31/52Absorbed
2/2Takedowns
1:42Control
1Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Gilbert Burns 19-3 walk-in TITLE KO/TKO · R3 0:34 — UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns · February 13, 2021
83/136Sig. strikes
45/108Absorbed
0/0Takedowns
2:05Control
2Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Jorge Masvidal 35-13 walk-in TITLE Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal · July 11, 2020
94/151Sig. strikes
66/125Absorbed
5/16Takedowns
16:38Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Colby Covington 15-1 walk-in TITLE KO/TKO · R5 4:10 — UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington · December 14, 2019
175/360Sig. strikes
143/395Absorbed
0/0Takedowns
0:11Control
2Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Tyron Woodley 19-3-1 walk-in TITLE Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith · March 2, 2019
141/194Sig. strikes
34/51Absorbed
2/6Takedowns
18:13Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Rafael Dos Anjos 27-10 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale · November 30, 2018
130/223Sig. strikes
62/112Absorbed
12/18Takedowns
18:24Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Demian Maia 23-8 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman · May 19, 2018
66/209Sig. strikes
27/87Absorbed
0/0Takedowns
4:18Control
1Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Emil Meek 9-2 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi · January 14, 2018
50/66Sig. strikes
30/67Absorbed
8/19Takedowns
12:56Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Sergio Moraes 12-2-1 walk-in KO/TKO · R1 2:48 — UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch · September 16, 2017
16/48Sig. strikes
13/27Absorbed
0/0Takedowns
0:05Control
1Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Sean Strickland 18-1 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC 210: Cormier vs. Johnson 2 · April 8, 2017
90/171Sig. strikes
27/103Absorbed
2/8Takedowns
8:08Control
1Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Warlley Alves 10-1 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira · November 19, 2016
71/150Sig. strikes
25/73Absorbed
1/2Takedowns
5:21Control
0Knockdowns
1Sub attempts
W Alexander Yakovlev 23-7-1 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC on FOX: Holm vs. Shevchenko · July 23, 2016
41/67Sig. strikes
8/15Absorbed
5/9Takedowns
13:02Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Leon Edwards 10-2 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC on FOX: Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 · December 19, 2015
48/80Sig. strikes
26/57Absorbed
6/13Takedowns
10:46Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Hayder Hassan 6-1 walk-in TITLE Submission · R2 1:19 — The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians Finale · July 12, 2015
15/26Sig. strikes
3/11Absorbed
6/8Takedowns
5:09Control
0Knockdowns
1Sub attempts
Walk-in records count UFC bouts in this database. For the pre-UFC career, see the record breakdown below or the Tapology button up top.
Record breakdown
Wins by method
KO/TKO
9
Submission
1
Decision
11
Other
0
Losses by method
KO/TKO
1
Submission
1
Decision
3
Other
0
Fights by organization
UFC
20
Legacy FC
3
Victory FC
1
CFA
1
RFA
1
Full career — 26 fights, every organization
| Opponent | Method | Event | Org | Rd | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | Dricus du Plessis | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: du Plessis vs. Usman
July 18, 2026 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Joaquin Buckley | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Usman vs. Buckley
June 14, 2025 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| L | Khamzat Chimaev | Decision (majority) | UFC 294
October 21, 2023 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| L | Leon Edwards | Decision (majority) | UFC 286
March 18, 2023 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| L | Leon Edwards | KO (head kick) | UFC 278
August 20, 2022 |
UFC | 5 | 4:04 |
| W | Colby Covington | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 268
November 6, 2021 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Jorge Masvidal | KO (punch) | UFC 261
April 24, 2021 |
UFC | 2 | 1:02 |
| W | Gilbert Burns | TKO (punches) | UFC 258
February 13, 2021 |
UFC | 3 | 0:34 |
| W | Jorge Masvidal | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 251
July 12, 2020 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Colby Covington | TKO (punches) | UFC 245
December 14, 2019 |
UFC | 5 | 4:10 |
| W | Tyron Woodley | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 235
March 2, 2019 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Rafael dos Anjos | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale
November 30, 2018 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Demian Maia | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman
May 19, 2018 |
UFC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Emil Weber Meek | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi
January 14, 2018 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Sérgio Moraes | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch
September 16, 2017 |
UFC | 1 | 2:48 |
| W | Sean Strickland | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 210
April 8, 2017 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Warlley Alves | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira 2
November 19, 2016 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Alexander Yakovlev | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Holm vs. Shevchenko
July 23, 2016 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Leon Edwards | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2
December 19, 2015 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Hayder Hassan | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians Finale
July 12, 2015 |
UFC | 2 | 1:19 |
| W | Marcus Hicks | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 33
July 18, 2014 |
Legacy FC | 2 | 5:00 |
| W | Lenny Lovoto | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 30
April 4, 2014 |
Legacy FC | 3 | 1:04 |
| W | Steven Rodriguez | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 27
January 31, 2014 |
Legacy FC | 1 | 1:31 |
| W | Rashid Abdullah | TKO (punches) | Victory FC 41
December 14, 2013 |
Victory FC | 1 | 3:49 |
| L | Jose Caceres | Submission (rear-naked choke) | CFA 11
May 24, 2013 |
CFA | 1 | 3:47 |
| W | David Glover | TKO (punches) | RFA 5
November 30, 2012 |
RFA | 2 | 4:50 |
Career history from the fighter's Wikipedia record table (Kamaru Usman) — results only, no strike stats; UFC bouts are marked and carry full stats in the fight history above.
Division context
Hero photo of Kamaru Usman by MMAnytt · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons