Adesanya, Usman, Ngannou: The Rise Of The African Champions
Over the past two years, three big fighters have risen to the top of the UFC’s official pound-for-pound rankings. Between Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou, African MMA fighters are making their mark on the championship in a big way. While there are other African fighters in the UFC right now, these three men have reigned (and are reigning) as champions.
Today we’re looking at these fighters, how they got started, and how they are dominating the UFC today. When these guys step into the Octagon, they’re usually a good bet. If you are part of the betting crowd, you’ll want to check out some MMA betting odds.
Israel Adesanya
Let’s start with the youngest of the three – Israel Adesanya. Having been born in Lagos in Nigeria, Adesanya also briefly lived in Ghana before growing up in New Zealand. Like so many fighters, bullying and mistreatment by others inspired him to fight.
At 18, he started kickboxing and recorded 32 wins to 0 losses as an amateur fighter. He fought in China before entering MMA tutelage under Eugene Bareman. Bareman, and his gym City Kickboxing, is also responsible for training Alexander Volkanovski.
His MMA career started in 2012, where he debuted with two TKO victories, then went on hiatus. He came back in 2015 with a win against Chinese MMA fighter Song Kenan. Both Adesanya and Kenan would then join the UFC.
Debuting against Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221, Adesanya recorded yet another TKO win and a Performance of the Night award. After favorable decisions against Marvin Vettori and Brad Tavares, and another TKO against Derek Brunson, Adesanya faced up against Anderson Silva. He fought Silva to a UD win.
At UFC 236, Adesanya won another UD against Kelvin Gastelum and became interim middleweight champion. To unify his title, Adesanya dramatically knocked out Robert Whittaker in the first round with just one second left. Since he has fended off Yoel Romero, the undefeated Paulo Costa, then Vettori and Whittaker again.
During his defense run, he tried to fight as a light heavyweight too, but Jan Blachowicz quickly put an end to those ambitions. To date, this is Adesanya’s only loss in the UFC and his entire MMA career.
Kamaru Usman
Like Adesanya, Kamaru Usman is also a Nigerian native, having been born in Auchi to a member of the Nigerian Army. Growing up in Benin City, his family later moved to Dallas, Texas.
At a high school senior national wrestling tournament, Usman even wrestled at the same event as a young Jon Jones. Progressing through the NCAA, Usman made an amateur record of 44 wins to just 1 loss.
As Usman eyed the professional MMA scene, he chose the name “The Nigerian Nightmare” for himself. This was already trademarked by Christian Okoye, fullback in the NFL, but Okoye gave Usman permission to carry the moniker forward.
Usman didn’t disappoint. He was soon selected to be on The Ultimate Fighter 21, where he beat undefeated Titan FC champ Michael Graves and then WSOF champ Steve Carl, finishing with a win over Hayder Hassan.
After winning his 2015 debut, he won all three of his 2016 fights and three others in 2017. 2018 was where things started to take off. After being optioned as a back-up for Tyron Woodley in his URC 228 fight against Darren Till, Usman beat Rafael dos Anjos at the TUF 28 finale instead, winning Performance of the Night.
That was where his welterweight champ ambitions were realized, continuing his nine-win streak by beating Tyron Woodley to get the title. From there, he defended against Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, and Gilbert Burns. This set Usman at a thirteen-fight win streak, more than Georges St. Pierre’s record.
He recently rematched Masvidal and Covington, remaining the welterweight champ for the UFC.
Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou is the hardest recorded puncher in the world, so it’s no surprise that he has come to dominate the UFC’s heavyweight division. Starting out at Batie, Cameroon, Ngannou had a tough childhood full of manual labor and navigating gangs. Rejecting the negative influences around him, he took up boxing and later moved to France to take it further.
Homeless in Paris, Ngannou was taken in by MMA coach Fernand Lopez, who turned Ngannou towards martial arts instead. After making a 5-1 record in France, the UFC found him.
Like Usman, he debuted in 2015 and won his first four fights. His next big break came when he beat Alistair Overeem at UFC 218. Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis quickly humbled Ngannou afterward, though it was clear that Ngannou could go all the way.
Ngannou got his revenge against Miocic at UFC 260, beating him to become the UFC heavyweight champion. Then he faced fellow French citizen Ciryl Gane to a UD, the first-ever decision win of his career.
Conclusion
With these three, we have covered the best African fighters in the UFC and, as a result, the world. As they continue to dominate their respective leagues, the immediate future is looking bright for all of them.
