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Kamaru Usman "The Nigerian Nightmare"

Active #3 middleweight · age 39 · Switch · 6'0" 183 cm · 170 lb 77 kg · reach 76" 193 cm
At a glance
  • 6 successful title defenses
  • Fight of the Night in last fight
  • Earned a bonus in 2 of last 5 fights
  • Career-best 15-fight win streak
Elo rating
1672
Global Elo 1730 ±44
Rank
#3
top 3% of division
UFC record
16-4-0
KO 4 · Sub 1 · Dec 11
Streak
-1
Δ90d -17 · Δ1y -17
Last fight
Jul 18, 2026
Loss by Decision

Division-adjusted profile

each axis = percentile in own division
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vs Compare across divisions →

The size-fair view: each fighter is measured against his own division, so a heavyweight's lower raw pace isn't punished. Toughness inverts strikes absorbed. Raw career numbers are in Performance above.

Honest Elo history

20 fights · tap & drag
Jul 12, 2015 — W vs Hayder Hassan Δ+41Dec 19, 2015 — W vs Leon Edwards Δ+29Jul 23, 2016 — W vs Alexander Yakovlev Δ+26Nov 19, 2016 — W vs Warlley Alves Δ+29Apr 8, 2017 — W vs Sean Strickland Δ+28Sep 16, 2017 — W vs Sergio Moraes Δ+17Jan 14, 2018 — W vs Emil Meek Δ+10May 19, 2018 — W vs Demian Maia Δ+16Nov 30, 2018 — W vs Rafael Dos Anjos Δ+15Mar 2, 2019 — W vs Tyron Woodley Δ+19Dec 14, 2019 — W vs Colby Covington Δ+20Jul 11, 2020 — W vs Jorge Masvidal Δ+15Feb 13, 2021 — W vs Gilbert Burns Δ+17Apr 24, 2021 — W vs Jorge Masvidal Δ+14Nov 6, 2021 — W vs Colby Covington Δ+14Aug 20, 2022 — L vs Leon Edwards Δ-32Mar 18, 2023 — L vs Leon Edwards Δ-24Oct 21, 2023 — L vs Khamzat Chimaev Δ-20Jun 14, 2025 — W vs Joaquin Buckley Δ+12Jul 18, 2026 — L vs Dricus Du Plessis Δ-17 14501500155016001650170017501800 20172019202120232025 [{"i":0,"x":90,"y":378.9,"elo":1484,"date":"2015-07-12","opp":"Hayder Hassan","result":"W","delta":41},{"i":1,"x":118.6,"y":352.7,"elo":1513,"date":"2015-12-19","opp":"Leon Edwards","result":"W","delta":29},{"i":2,"x":157.5,"y":328.9,"elo":1539,"date":"2016-07-23","opp":"Alexander Yakovlev","result":"W","delta":26},{"i":3,"x":178.7,"y":302.2,"elo":1568,"date":"2016-11-19","opp":"Warlley Alves","result":"W","delta":29},{"i":4,"x":203.8,"y":277,"elo":1596,"date":"2017-04-08","opp":"Sean Strickland","result":"W","delta":28},{"i":5,"x":232.6,"y":261.9,"elo":1612,"date":"2017-09-16","opp":"Sergio Moraes","result":"W","delta":17},{"i":6,"x":254.1,"y":252.7,"elo":1622,"date":"2018-01-14","opp":"Emil Meek","result":"W","delta":10},{"i":7,"x":276.4,"y":237.8,"elo":1638,"date":"2018-05-19","opp":"Demian Maia","result":"W","delta":16},{"i":8,"x":311.3,"y":224.2,"elo":1653,"date":"2018-11-30","opp":"Rafael Dos Anjos","result":"W","delta":15},{"i":9,"x":327.8,"y":206.5,"elo":1673,"date":"2019-03-02","opp":"Tyron Woodley","result":"W","delta":19},{"i":10,"x":379.1,"y":187.8,"elo":1693,"date":"2019-12-14","opp":"Colby Covington","result":"W","delta":20},{"i":11,"x":416.7,"y":174.6,"elo":1708,"date":"2020-07-11","opp":"Jorge Masvidal","result":"W","delta":15},{"i":12,"x":455.5,"y":158.8,"elo":1725,"date":"2021-02-13","opp":"Gilbert Burns","result":"W","delta":17},{"i":13,"x":468.1,"y":146,"elo":1739,"date":"2021-04-24","opp":"Jorge Masvidal","result":"W","delta":14},{"i":14,"x":503.1,"y":133.2,"elo":1753,"date":"2021-11-06","opp":"Colby Covington","result":"W","delta":14},{"i":15,"x":554.5,"y":162.1,"elo":1721,"date":"2022-08-20","opp":"Leon Edwards","result":"L","delta":-32},{"i":16,"x":592.1,"y":184.3,"elo":1697,"date":"2023-03-18","opp":"Leon Edwards","result":"L","delta":-24},{"i":17,"x":630.9,"y":202.2,"elo":1677,"date":"2023-10-21","opp":"Khamzat Chimaev","result":"L","delta":-20},{"i":18,"x":738.6,"y":191.3,"elo":1689,"date":"2025-06-14","opp":"Joaquin Buckley","result":"W","delta":12},{"i":19,"x":810,"y":206.7,"elo":1672,"date":"2026-07-18","opp":"Dricus Du Plessis","result":"L","delta":-17}]

Last fights

Elo-based expectation · not betting advice
Date Opponent Result Δ Elo
Jul 18, 2026 Dricus Du Plessis L -17
Jun 14, 2025 Joaquin Buckley W +12
Oct 21, 2023 Khamzat Chimaev L -20
Mar 18, 2023 Leon Edwards L -24
Aug 20, 2022 Leon Edwards L -32
7 post-fight bonuses
  • Performance of the Night ×4
  • Fight of the Night ×3
$400,000 in bonus money

UFC awards a discretionary bonus for the night's best fight and finishes. Kamaru Usman has earned 7. The payout was $50,000 from 2014 to 2025 and $100,000 from 2026; select cards have paid more.

Performance

SLpM Significant Strikes Landed per Minute. Higher = busier striker.
Strikes Landed
L1L3L5
Str Acc Striking accuracy: significant strikes landed / attempted. Higher = more efficient striker.
Strike Accuracy
L1L3L5
SApM Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute. How often opponents land on this fighter. Lower is better.
Strikes Absorbed
L1L3L5
Str Def Share of opponent’s significant strike attempts that miss or are blocked. Higher is better.
Striking Defense
L1L3L5
TD / 15 min Takedowns landed per 15 minutes (one full 3-round fight). Measures wrestling output.
Takedowns
L1L3L5
TD Acc Takedowns landed / attempted. Higher = cleaner entries.
Takedown Accuracy
L1L3L5
TD Def Share of opponent takedown attempts stuffed. Higher = harder to put on the mat.
Takedown Defense
L1L3L5
Sub / 15 min Submission attempts per 15 minutes. Counts attempts, not just finishes — a proxy for grappling aggression.
Submission Attempts
L1L3L5
Ctrl / 15 min Control time in seconds per 15 minutes. Time in dominant grappling positions. 240 = 4 min, the realistic high-end across divisions.
Control Time (sec)
L1L3L5
KD / 15 min Knockdowns landed per 15 minutes. Counts every flash KD even if the fight continued — measures stopping power across all rounds, not just finishes.
Knockdowns
L1L3L5
Above division avg (intensity ∝ how far)
Near avg (±10%)
Below division avg

Finishes

How wins come Finish rate = (KO + Submission wins) / total UFC wins. Measures how often this fighter closes the show before the scorecards.
31%
5 / 16
Finish rate
KO
4
25% of wins
SUB
1
6% of wins
DEC
11
69% of wins
KO: 4 (25%) 4 Sub: 1 (6%) Dec: 11 (69%) 11
Finishes by round
5 total
R1
1 20%
R2
2 40%
R3
1 20%
R4
R5
1 20%

Striking profile

Where significant strikes land — by target zone and by position. 1503 landed total · career

Targets head · body · leg
63% Head
  • Head 63%
  • Body 29%
  • Leg 8%
Positions distance · clinch · ground
60% Distance
  • Distance 60%
  • Clinch 16%
  • Ground 24%

Durability

How they're beaten How fights end AGAINST this fighter. Finished-against rate = (times KO'd + submitted) / total UFC losses. A low rate means they rarely get stopped.
25%
of losses by finish
1 of 4
1 KO/TKO 0 Sub 3 Dec Never submitted

Strength of schedule in UFC

Avg opp Elo (last 5) Average Elo rating of the last 5 opponents this fighter faced. A proxy for schedule difficulty — 1700+ is elite-level competition, 1500 is a UFC average opponent.
1685
Contender level
Quality wins (1600+) Wins over opponents rated 1600+ Elo at the time of the fight — clearly above the ~1500 UFC average, contender tier. A count of genuine quality results, not record-padding.
12
of 16 UFC wins
Toughest win The highest-rated opponent this fighter has a win over, by that opponent's Elo at fight time.
Tyron Woodley
Elo 1699 at fight time
Expected wins How many wins an average fighter would be expected to have against this exact schedule, based on pre-fight Elo win probabilities. The line below shows whether this fighter is over- or under-performing their matchups.
11.6
+4.4 wins above what this schedule implies
Opponent Elo over career · 20 UFC fights, oldest → newest
1500
1728
Notable wins
Tyron Woodley 1699 Colby Covington ×2 1691 Demian Maia 1686 Gilbert Burns 1676 Rafael Dos Anjos 1674 Jorge Masvidal ×2 1652
Career at a glance
Octagon time
6h 4m
Avg fight time
18:12
Fights per year
1.8
Since last fight
28d
Title fights
7-2
Bonuses
7
Ground control
2h 27m
vs Compare Kamaru Usman with any fighter any division · any era · honest simulation →

Top middleweight

See full rankings →
Dricus Du Plessis
#1 · Elo 1709
Khamzat Chimaev
#2 · Elo 1676
Sean Strickland C
#4 · Elo 1657
Brendan Allen
#5 · Elo 1654
Nassourdine Imavov
#6 · Elo 1648
Source Raw fight data and per-bout statistics come from Kamaru Usman on UFCStats →. Elo rating, uncertainty bands, and division-relative analytics computed by HonestElo — not affiliated with or endorsed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.