We have two citizens who are called the Nigerian nightmare; the question will now be, who are these Nigerians? Don’t worry, you’re about to find out who those hard-core players are.
That’s because in this article we’re going to talk about Nigeria’s two nightmares and why they’re called that.
Nigerian Nightmare
Some time ago, Nigeria had two outstanding sportsmen who made an incredible record in the world that left a lot of people with open mouths in surprise. We’ve called them the Nigerian nightmare ever since.
I suppose you expected to hear the opposite of the above story.
Nigeria’s Incubus
As we talked about earlier, we have two Nigerians who are known as the Nigerian nightmare.
These two wonderful Nigerians are Kamaru Usman and Christian Okoye.
Usman Kamaru is a Nigerian American who has been an exceptional wrestler from a young age until today. Christian Okoye went on to become a talented American soccer player in his early twenties.
Right from the record-breaking story of these two Nigerians, their names have been flaunting all over cyberspace.
They instantly became superstars not only in the United States but in Nigeria and worldwide.
Why Do they Call them the Nightmare of Nigeria?
Now let’s watch the event that made Kamaru and Christian be referenced with the name above.
-
Record Story of Usman Kamaru
From the moment Kamaru joined the UFC division Welterweight in 2015, he maintained an impressive record.
On a faithful Saturday night during the UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, Usman Kamaru dropped a crushing hand to his opponent and knocked him down in just a minute and two seconds.
It was round two of the match.
The event takes place on July 12, 2015, at the “Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale”, where he played Heyder Hassan.
Subsequently, he won the match, American sports channel and ESPN then ranked Usman Kamaru the second world best to win the pound –for pound MMA fight in such a small timeframe.
It was at this time that Usman was called the “Nigerian Nightmare”.
Other Achievements
In addition to Usman’s victory at all 261 UFC tournaments, he has other remarkable records. These achievements include the following:
- In 2015, he won an upcoming competitor named Leon Edwards in December.
- On 19 November, Usman won a fight against three-time Brazilian TUF winner Warlley Alves at the UFC Fight Night 100.
- In 2017, he gave another punch and stunned his opponent.
- Around November 2018, Usman Kamaru faced Rafael dos Anjos, another historical light UFC champion at the «Ultimate Fighter Finale» and emerged victoriously.
- At the beginning of March 2019, Usman competed against another UFC Welterweight champion known as Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 and emerged victoriously. He went on to become the new UFC champion.
- To defend his title, he takes on Colby Covington, his longtime rival. Luckily, he was able to defeat his opponent technically and became the victor.
Even if we had all day to discuss Usman Kamaru’s accomplishments, we would not be able to exhaust them all. It’s because he’s got so much of it.
Therefore, we will check out another Nigerian nightmare immediately.
Below you will find a summary of the profile of Usman Kamaru.
| Name | Usman Kamaru |
| Date of birth | 11TH May 1987. Age 34 |
| Nationality | American Nigerian |
| Nickname | Nigerian nightmare |
| Height | 6 feet (1.83 meters) |
| Weight | 170 lab (77 kg, 12 st) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Occupation | Wrestling |
| Team | Blackzilians (2011-17) Sandford MMA (2017-2020) Onx Sports (2020- to date) |
| Records | Knockout (9), Submission (1), Decision (9) lose by submission (1) |
-
Christian Okoye Historic Record
Christian Okoye has been nicknamed a “Nigerian nightmare” because of his excellent structure, ability to run, and his formidable breakup tackles as a footballer in Kansas City Chiefs.
He could run for about a 40-meter dash in just 4.4 seconds. Thus, in 1989, Christian Okoye directed the NFL statistics with great margin during the two rushing attempts.
He was the only player in history to lead the NFL in rush.
For his wonderful performance, Chris Okoye was selected by the UPI as the offensive player of the year at the American Football Conference.
Even more, Christian Okoye was able to make a terrible impression when he had a collision with Richard Dent on the soccer field because of his massive racing speed.
Other Achievements
Following the 1989 NFL League, Christian Okoye began to have a series of injuries that did not allow him to make the most of his talents. Nevertheless, he was able to make a few accomplishments.
In 1991, Christian Okoye covered about 1,031 meters and 4.6 meters per portage. For this, he was chosen for the second participation in the Pro Bowl.
Around 1993, Christian Okoye suffered injuries as the coach left with no alternative but to place him on the injured reserve. He then retired from the squad because of his injury, but he still did something in the NFL.
Christian has invested in the Golden Baseball League and continues to open a fitness and healthcare company to sell dietary supplements.
1989 Awards
- Christian Okoye has won the «first team» title on two successive occasions.
- The same year, he received the «Running Back» award of the year.
- He also won a Mackie award for numerous touchdowns at the CFA.
- Christian Okoye also received a prize for his courage at all Baltimore tournaments.
Right below is a summary of Christian Okoye.
| Name | Christian Okoye |
| Date of birth | 16th August 1961 age 60 |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Nickname | Nigerian Nightmare |
| Occupation | Football |
| Height | 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters) |
| Weight | 265 lab (120) |
| NFL draft | 1987/ round 2/pick 35 |
| Career history | Kansas City Chiefs from 1987-1992 |
| NFL statistic | Rushing yards 4,897, yards per carrying 3.9, rushing touchdowns 40. |
| Collage | Azusa Pacific |
| Career highlights and awards | KCC AFC offensive Player of the Year (1989), UPI AFC Offensive player of the year (1989), 2x Pro Bowl (1989-1991), Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame, NFL rushing yards leader (1989), and lots more. |
Those are the two wonderful Nigerian nightmares that made their country very proud. Of what we have spoken thus far, you have seen who these nightmares are and what makes them win such a name.
Christian Okoye is now in retirement, but we hope to get more results out of Usman Kamaru.