Kamaru Usman Dominated Tyron Woodley with Fractured Foot at UFC 235

No one would have guessed it while watching him take Tyron Woodley to the woodshed for five rounds, but Kamaru Usman won the UFC welterweight title with a fractured foot.

Usman turned in a performance for the ages on Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC 235 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Nigerian Nightmare” did virtually whatever he wanted inside the Octagon as he dominated Woodley from start to finish. Usman landed several clean punches to the head, rocked the defending champ and controlled Woodley on the ground.

And he did it all with only three good limbs.

“Coming into this fight, I fractured my left foot,” Usman revealed to the assembled media at the post-fight press conference. “I was walking around in a boot all week, but nothing was going to deter me from achieving what I set out to achieve.”

His achievement was not only just winning the promotion’s 170-pound title from one of the best champions the division has ever seen, but he also made history. Usman became the first ever fighter from Africa to become a world champion in MMA, and it’s something he said he always knew would happen.

“It feels amazing to be the first Nigeran champion,” he said. “I’m putting my country on the map and I can’t wait to bring the UFC back to my home. I always envisioned that [being a champion] and having Dana wrapping that belt around me and just knowing all those things I was fighting for. Not just for me or people from Africa, but for everyone who comes from humble beginnings.”

Usman wasn’t clear on what he plans on doing next, other than putting a beating on Colby Covington, a man who will likely serve as his first title defense.

“Can I curse up here?” Usman asked. “I want to f--k that guy up so bad. I can’t be in a room with that guy. I can’t wait to be healed up and really put my hands on him. That’s one I’m really gonna enjoy, brutalizing him.”

Usman’s mood quickly switched from bitter ire at Covington to the possibility of the continent of Africa having a historic year. With him already having won the welterweight gold, Usman’s thoughts drifted toward his fellow countrymen capturing UFC gold as well. With popular Israel Adesanya taking on Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight title at UFC 236 next month and s heavyweight from Cameroon potentially dominating his weight class, Usman is giddy.

“Can you imagine?” he asked with a huge smile on his face. “We can have Nigerians in back-to-back months winning world titles and not to mention that Francis Ngannou is staring at that heavyweight title. You know what? I’ve said it; in 2019 we might possibly have three West African champions in the UFC.”