How does a UFC champion spend his cash?
For Kamaru Usman, who has earned a few big paydays throughout his career and is not done cashing fight checks, the money can go as quickly as it comes – and so do a few hard lessons about spending.
On a recurring segment with GQ Sports that dives into how athletes spend their first $1 million, the UFC welterweight champ explained how he accumulated and then spent his first seven figures.
First, “The Nigerian Nightmare” discussed one of his early hustles when he was growing up. Long before he was on the path to becoming one of the best fighters on the planet, Usman explained how he would flip Pokémon cards for cash.
His days hunting for rare cards of mythical fighting animals like Charizard and Blastoise are now behind him though, as his own combat skills pay the bills.
So how exactly did Usman run through his first $1 million? Take a look at the breakdown:
- Daughter’s birthday party + a Nissan Maxima = $30,000
- Rolex watch = $20,000
- Coaches & trainers = $200,000
- Daughter’s school = $30,000
- A house = $500,000
- Failed investment = $60,000
- Smarter investment = $30,000
- Range Rover Velar = $80,000
- Investments with his brother = $50,000
The figures above total a million, but do not account for taxes, which hopefully doesn’t mean Usman has some explaining to do to Uncle Sam in the near future.
Due to the lack of transparency surrounding fighter pay in the UFC, especially for championship-level fighters who earn a portion of pay-per-view sales, one can only speculate on how much Usman has truly earned during his career thus far.
Taking care of his daughter, keeping the family involved, and quickly learning from bad investments seems to be a solid financial strategy for the champ. Check out the video above to hear Usman explain why he decided to make these purchases.
Did he fumble the bag or do you think he spent his first $1 million wisely?
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
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