Rashad Evans shares how Kamaru Usman got his Marty nickname in high school

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4 years ago

Kamaru Usman in action against Colby Covington (Getty)

UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans reveals how Kamaru Usman got his Marty nickname in high school.

Usman is all the rage in the welterweight division right now. He is all set to defend his welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal, this weekend, in the main event of UFC 261. The pair already met at UFC 251, which Usman won via. unanimous decision.

The Nigerian Nightmare who is already one of the greatest welterweights of all time might take on Colby Covington in a rematch if he beats Masvidal at UFC 261.

Kamaru Usman of Nigeria reacts after his victory over Gilbert Burns of Brazil in their UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 258 event at UFC APEX on February 13, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Usman and Covington had a very closely contested match at UFC 245, with Usman winning the fight via. TKO towards the very end of the fifth round.

During that (UFC 245) pre-fight press conference, Covington popularized Usman’s high school nickname referring to him as ‘Marty Fake Newsman’, and it left many wondering why Chaos called him that.

More recently, UFC Hall of Famer and a mentor to Usman, Rashad Evans shared how Usman got the nickname Marty, in an interview with ESPN.

Evans divulged that all Usman wanted in high school was to get along with his school mates, and hence the nickname.

This is what Evans had to say:

“What allowed him to be called Marty was just wanting to get along, wanting to not cause too much ruffles, not wanting to stand out too much. But as he became who he is now, [Kamaru] realized he never fit in. Because he wasn’t supposed to. He wasn’t supposed to because he is special.” [via ESPN MMA]

Rashad Evans reveals how Kamaru Usman outgrew his nickname ‘Marty’

Evans also explained how Usman outgrew his nickname ‘Marty’. He said ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ realized that he never fit in that crowd, only after becoming the Champion he is.

He added that it is always OK to be exceptional and different, and that was exactly what Usman grew up to be.

Evans said:

“You don’t need to be Marty no more because you don’t fit in. It’s OK to be different. It’s OK to be exceptional. And that’s what I watched Kamarudeen grow into. I watched him grow into his own name.” [via ESPN MMA]