How long has Kamaru Usman had trouble with his knees? A look into 'The Nigerian Nightmare's ordeal following multiple surgeries

Kamaru Usman’s knee issues have been a discussion point for several years.

Before transitioning to MMA, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was an NCAA Division II wrestler for the University of Nebraska at Kearney. During his time in college, Usman won a gold medal at 174 pounds at the 2010 DII national championships.

Since then, Kamaru Usman has become one of the greatest welterweight fighters of all time behind Georges St-Pierre. The former UFC welterweight champion is now riding a two-fight losing streak following an unsuccessful series against Leon Edwards, where the latter became the new 170-pound king.

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is preparing to get back in the win column, but one issue continues to be a concerning factor - his knees.

The MMA community is well aware of the wear and tear that world-class fighters acquire. With that said, Usman’s knee issues are rumored to be worse than the usual acquired damage.

In 2019, Joe Rogan had Will Harris, an award-winning MMA filmmaker, on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, to discuss combat sports. During the episode, Rogan shocked listeners by claiming that Kamaru Usman has to walk on grass because concrete hurts his knees.

The narrative of Usman’s injuries was intensified by Harris. The filmmaker said he did a video with Usman and saw the former UFC welterweight champion walk backward downstairs because his knees were in pain.

Over his historic career, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has had various surgeries for his knees, hand and hernia. It’s unclear what his knee surgery was specifically for, but there’s no doubt they aren’t at full strength.

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Kamaru Usman shuts down rumors of knee injury during UFC 294 open workouts

Earlier this week, Kamaru Usman participated in an open workout with Justin Gaethje ahead of his short-notice UFC 294 fight against Khamzat Chimaev. There were plenty of cameras recording, and one angle showed Usman allegedly telling Gaethje he heard a pop in his knee.

The rumor began spiraling out of control as most of the MMA community spread the unproven news. Once Bloody Elbow posted the allegations on Twitter, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ responded by saying:

“This is why no one reads this sh*tty a*s blog. At what point while I was lightly drilling did you hear me say that to Justin. Stop with the clickbait you idiots”

Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje have repeatedly denied the rumors of the knee injury. Regardless of what happened, Usman must still face a tough test against Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 294 co-main event on Saturday, October 21.