3 Nigerians You Didn’t Know Were Flying The Green Flag In Combat Sports

Being a Nigerian is a reality often laced with certain negative stereotypes. The institutional corruption which has insidiously pervaded every aspect of our national life, has somewhat echoed as a national identity. Litter wonder then, that even our President once said that Nigerians are criminals.

But then, in spite of Nigeria’s unfortunate synonymous disposition with criminality, yet another crucial fact about Nigerians is their ability to excel amidst the highest levels of competition in any given human endeavour; from science and technology, to the clinical sciences, to business, sports, arts and entertainment, Nigerians have proven to be just as savvy as anyone else and have sometimes even surpassed conventional standards and benchmarks in these spheres of human endeavour.

However, within the world of combat sports, it wasn’t until 12 years ago when Samuel Peter stopped Oleg Maskaev in six rounds that Nigeria had its first heavyweight champion in the sport. But Peter did not rise to the pinnacle of the sport until his twilight years in the game, which explains why he soon faded from memory after his 15 minutes of fame.

Within the last decade, another Nigerian started gradually gaining traction in the media for his impressive breakout; and, merely three years after turning pro he captured the IBO, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles. Today, Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua is a name of everyone’s lips, and, as rightly captured by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, A.J’s impressive performances continues to “lift our spirits”.

But Anthony Joshua is not the only one lifting Nigerian spirits in the world of combat sports. Over the last few years there’s been a number of Nigerians who have continued to gain currency in the sport, ultimately proving the veracity of the Nigerian fighting spirit.

Eko Hot Blog takes a look at 3 Nigerians flying the green flag in the world of combat sports.

(1) Israel Adesanya: Nicknamed ‘the last style bender’, Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya, is a Nigerian-born New Zealand professional mixed martial artist. He has also competed in kickboxing and boxing. As a mixed martial artist, he is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), representing his native Nigeria, where he is the UFC Middleweight Champion and has an undefeated record of 20 wins and no losses.

READ ALSO: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About The Phenomenal Anthony Joshua

Born in Lagos on July 22nd, 1989,  Adesanya made his professional debut in 2012. Fighting in Hong Kong, Australia and China over the next five-and-a-half years, he amassed a record of 11–0, with all wins coming via KO/TKO, prior to being signed by the UFC.

Despite spending most of his formative years in New Zealand, Adesanya has maintained an inseparable connection to his Nigerian roots, as evidenced by his characteristic Yoruba chants to celebrate his victories inside the octagon.

Adesanya is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world of mixed martial arts; and, with the recent retirement of Russian lightweight, Khabib Nurmagomedov, now holds the longest undefeated streak in the UFC.

(2) Kamaru Usman: Like Adesanya, Usman also plies his trade in the UFC. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Born in Auchi, Nigeria, Usman made his professional MMA debut in November 2012. He compiled a record of 5-1, competing for several regional promotions before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter in early 2015.

Riding a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC, Usman faced UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley on March 2, 2019, in the co-main event at UFC 235. He won the one-sided fight via unanimous decision after dominating his opponent for five rounds to be crowned as the new UFC Welterweight Champion.

Despite also holding dual citizenship, Usman has demonstrated an undying love for his Nigerian identity, and never goes to the octagon without his Nigerian flag.

(3) Efe Ajagba: (born 22 April 1994) is a Nigerian professional boxer who holds the record for the fastest victory in boxing history after his opponent was disqualified for leaving the ring one second after the opening bell.

Ajagba took up the sport of boxing in 2011 after previously playing football for a club in Ughelli since 2005.

At the 2015 African Games held in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, Ajagba was selected as the Nigerian entrant in the men’s super heavyweight event. He won the gold medal, beating Keddy Angnes of the Seychelles by a score 3–0 in the final.

Efe holds a professional record of 14-0 with 11 of his 14 wins coming by way of knockout, a feat which has put the heavyweight division on high alert.