When it comes to pure dominance in UFC’s welterweight division, you can arguably put Kamaru Usman right after the former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre. Kamaru has been on a tear in the stacked division and has run through some killers while on his way to a title shot. He defeated the likes of Leon Edwards, RDA, and Tyron Woodley before earning the gold.
Even during his title defenses, he has only fought tough contenders like Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. Unfortunately, his dominating title reign came to an end at UFC 278 when Birmingham resident Leon Edwards pulled off a last-minute KO in a fight the latter was visibly losing.
While all have been glitter and gold in his MMA career so far, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has found several other avenues to make big money off of. The former freestyle wrestler has had some lucrative sponsorships and a role in a huge Hollywood film behind him.
Kamaru Usman’s net worth
Throughout the years as an MMA fighter, Usman has had ties with several high-profile brands, the noteworthy ones of which being Trifecta and Reebok. Both the aforementioned brands will be sponsoring the Nigerian native for his upcoming UFC 286 title fight against Leon Edwards.
As per celebrity net worth, Kamaru’s net worth is $3+ million. He has a reach of 958K followers on Twitter, 16.6K on his YouTube channel, and a massive 3.4 million on Instagram. Considering these numbers, it is safe to say that the 35-year-old is raking in tens of thousands of dollars with every commercial and advertisement he puts up on his socials.
How much money does Kamaru Usman earn in UFC?
Like every current champion, Kamaru had to work his way to the top with meager salaries and humble beginnings. He was paid $72,500 when he won The Ultimate Fighter in 2015. Once signed, he made $26,500 for his very first fight in the promotion. Kamaru cashed his first six-figure check when he fought RDA, for which he made $205,000.
The Texas resident went on to make about $380,000 in his very first title shot against Tyron Woodley in 2019. After attaining UFC gold, he defended the belt a good 5 times. His biggest payday came through a rematch with Colby Covington at UFC 268 where he bagged an estimated $1,892,000, including bonuses and a PPV cut.
Apart from this, Usman made $640,000 in his first fight with Jorge Masvidal, while the rematch earned him $692,000. His first Colby fight made him $590,000 and a title defense against Gilbert Burns brought Kamaru a hefty $690,000.
Adding up these huge numbers, Kamaru has cashed in a minimum of $5,089,000 from his high-profile fights. However, it is noteworthy that not all these numbers include Pay-per-view shares and bonuses. Safe to say, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is comfortably sitting on top of $7 million+ in his Texas residence.
Kamaru Usman made his acting debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Not many MMA fighters, let alone UFC fighters can say that they have starred in a massive-budget Hollywood flick, alongside some of the top working actors. UFC’s Conor McGregor and Kamaru Usman are two of those few. While Conor is slated to make his acting debut in a major studio project, Kamaru is already done appearing on the big screen.
Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Michael B Jordan, Angela Bassett, and more, Kamaru played the role of a naval officer in the sequel to Black Panther, per IMDB.
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While we don’t have concrete evidence as to how much the former welterweight king made in his acting debut, what we do know is that as of March 12, 2023, the highly-successful Marvel production has grossed $453.8 million in the US, and Canada, and $405 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $858.8 million.
UFC 286 takes place on March 18 at the O2 Arena in London, England. In the main event, Kamaru will try to regain his throne in the welterweight division from Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards. Will he be able to make the right adjustments? Let us know in the comments down below.
