Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington have one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history—but beyond the octagon, there’s a nickname that’s stirred up curiosity and controversy.
The Origins of ‘Marty’ Trace Back to High School Wrestling
Before he was “The Nigerian Nightmare,” Kamaru Usman was known simply as “Marty” on the wrestling mats of Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas. The nickname came not from choice, but rather from a moment of linguistic convenience. As a teenager new to the United States, Usman joined the wrestling team under coach Steve Carter, a former Marine who struggled to pronounce “Kamarudeen,” Usman’s full first name.
Instead of making the effort, Carter decided to call him “Marty,” a name he believed would be easier for the team and himself to use. Usman, eager to learn and fit in, accepted the name without resistance.
“You look like a Marty. I’m going to call you Marty,” Usman recalled his coach saying. “I was there to work hard. It didn’t matter what name I was called. I just wanted to be great.”
Covington, known for his provocative persona, resurrected the name during the buildup to his 2019 fight with Usman at UFC 245. Intent on unsettling his opponent, Covington consistently referred to him as “Marty from Nebraska”—a dig aimed at undercutting Usman’s Nigerian heritage and presenting him as someone who abandoned his roots for mainstream acceptance.
While the name might’ve seemed like a simple jab, it carried a tone of disrespect that many picked up on. Yet, Usman remained calm under fire.
“He thinks it’s an insult. But it’s not,” Usman told reporters. “That name helped me through some important stages. It was never meant to diminish who I am.”
Daniel Cormier No Longer Uses the Nickname For Usman
Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier, who shares a strong wrestling background with Usman, once admitted to casually calling him “Marty” during their amateur days. But Cormier later changed his stance after understanding what the name represented and what Usman stood for.
In a 2021 episode of The DC Check-In, Cormier explained that Usman approached him and asked to be called by his real name—Kamaru. That moment, according to Cormier, reflected Usman’s evolution from an ambitious teenager into a man who demanded respect for his identity.
“He became a man, he goes, ‘No. I will be called by my name. I will be called by my given name. Respect me enough to put the [effort]. He almost grew up into his name,” Cormier said.
“Because we all called him that. That’s what you called him in wrestling because that’s what everybody else called him. But I will never call him that again because he asked me for, as a friend, as a man that I knew from wrestling, he goes, ‘Hey, man. Call me Kamaru,'” he added.