"It was a damn good run as an athlete"- Kamaru Usman gets inducted into the Collegiate Wrestling Hall of Fame

In the buildup to his long-anticipated rematch against Leon Edwards, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was honored with a Collegiate Wrestling Hall-of-Fame induction.

'The Nigerian Nightmare' is recognized as one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the world at present. He has been undefeated since coming to the UFC in 2015. The 170lb athlete is a proud wrestler who manages to mix in his grappling with his heavy hands to overwhelm his opponents in cage.

During a recent episode of UFC Connected, Megan Olivi endorsed Kamaru Usman for his achievements and announced his induction into the NWCA Hall-of-Fame. Giving fans exclusive insight into the ceremony, we got to hear the 35-year-old's thoughts on his accomplishments and what the award meant to him. Usman said:

"I first got into wrestling in high school, I quickly fell in love with the sport because I realized that I got out what I put in. The harder I trained, the more disciplined I was in the sport, the better the results that I got... Ever since I was little, I always wanted to feel what it would be like to be at the top of the sport, and here we are today, being inducted into the Division Two National Wrestling Hall-of-Fame... It was a damn good run as an athlete, and still is as a mixed martial arts fighter."

In 2008, the UFC star earned bronze at the NCAA Division II Championships. The following year, the wrestler did one better, claiming silver during the 2009 event, but was able to capture gold in 2010 while competing in his final ever NCAA Championships.

Check out Kamaru Usman getting inducted into the Collegiate Wrestling Hall-of-Fame in the video below.

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How long does Kamaru Usman have left in MMA?

As he turns 36 next year, Kamaru Usman is possibly coming to the end of his career in the sport of mixed martial arts, and the welterweight has already begun hinting at his future departure from the UFC.

Showing aspirations to go and box Canelo Alvarez in what would, without a doubt, be his biggest payday, the #1 pound-for-pound MMA star is already putting in the building blocks for his next life venture.

Usman has also stated an interest in moving up two weight divisions to compete for the light heavyweight title, if Kamaru can achieve light heavyweight glory, he'd be a shoo-in for the G.O.A.T. conversation.