After retaining UFC 261 welterweight title, champion Kamaru Usman, dedicates belt to Dad

Nigerian-born UFC Welterweight Champion, Kamaru Usman, paid tribute to his dad, Muhammed Usman, after knocking out Jorge Masvidal in the second round of their ultimate fight to retain his crown at UFC 261 on Saturday.

Usman started by sharing his victory with his family as he embraced his brother, Kash Usman, kissed his wife before going over to his parents for another warm embrace.

He then took off his belt and wrapped it around his dad’s waist. It was a moment the 33-year-old had been waiting for 11 years.

The fight at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, meant a lot to Usman, not just because of the occasion, but, also because of his dad, who watched his son’s fight live for the first time.

Muhammed has been in the United States of America since 1989 when he first left his family behind in Nigeria to pursue an advanced degree at the University of Texas.

Formerly a Nigerian army officer, he eventually made America his home, and in 1995 he brought his family with him; Usman, his two brothers and their mom. He and his wife later had their sister Ashlynn in 1997.

He went on to own his ambulance and emergency health service firm until 2009, when he had a run-in with the law.

Federal prosecutors charged Muhammed’s companies with fraudulently billing Medicare, Medicaid and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, among others.

Although he insisted that he wasn’t aware of the frauds, blaming people he left to run the business; he got a 10-year sentence.

He spent just under 10 years before he was released in February 2020.

While he was in prison, his son Usman became a huge mixed-martial artist with lots of successes in the sport’s biggest stage, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

He never got to watch Usman fight live since the UFA star made his MMA debut in 2012.

Although he was released when Usman fought Masvidal the first time and Gilbert Burns, he wasn’t there to watch because he wasn’t allowed to leave Texas.

But for the first time in his son’s UFC career, nonetheless the MMA, he was there to witness it as his son won by an impressive knockout.

Dressed in a Nigerian native attire with his wife, he got his tribute.

“My pops is back, it’s such an amazing joy to have my family complete once more,” Usman said during his post-fight interview with commentator Joe Rogan.

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