Over the years, many MMA fighters have stepped into movies. Randy Couture, Georges St-Pierre, Chuck Liddell, Gina Carano, Ronda Rousey, and Michael Bisping are some of the most notable names. Kamaru Usman, who is considered one of the most successful welterweight champions in UFC history, has also explored his opportunities in the entertainment world.
Kamaru Usman’s Debut in the Entertainment Industry
Kamaru Usman made his acting debut in 2022 in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which was the much-anticipated sequel to the original movie. Although his screentime was limited, with just a few lines in hand, it was a big milestone for his entertainment journey, as not everyone gets the chance to become a part of one of the most popular movie franchises ever.
Usman played a naval officer referred to as “Naval Officer 1.” In the movie scene, he gets into an argument with Winston Duke’s character M’Baku, who tells Usman’s people to be “ashamed of themselves” for not being able to do their duties to stop Namor.
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Usman’s casting in “Black Panther 2” wasn’t just by chance. It was rather a manifestation of his ambition. When the original “Black Panther” came out in 2018, it became a huge cultural representation of the Black community. The fighter had openly shown his desire to be associated with the movie franchise since then.
While talking to ESPN, he said earlier, “After the first one, I said, ‘I need to be in this! This got to happen.’ I don’t care who I got to beat up, they gotta make this happen. So, years later, I get a call, and I was ecstatic.”
Usman even teased his role by sharing an edited image of himself in a Black Panther suit.
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However, many roles often get cut in the final edit of a movie, especially in Marvel movies, because the script and story keep changing to fit the evolving MCU narrative. Something similar happened to WWE’s Seth Rollins in “Captain America: Brave New World.”
But Usman wasn’t worried about getting edited out. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has earned enough from his fights and all those UFC PPVs. In another ESPN interview, he said, “I didn’t really stress over it just because…for me, this isn’t my first. This isn’t my living.”
“I didn’t go into it with the expectation of ‘Oh everyone…I need to be seen in this movie so I can continue to get roles and do things, you know. I unders am. I am a UFC welterweight fighter, and that’s my first job, and so with this, it was just a cool experience to be able to see it,” Usman added.
Usman found a new respect for the actors after his experience. “I was able to see such professionals work, some of the biggest professionals do their scenes over and over again with the same intensity, 13 hours a day,” he said.
Besides “Black Panther 2”, Usman also appeared in the music video for “B. D’or” by Burna Boy, featuring WizKid.