The UFC’s heavyweight division may be in an exciting phase now with a potential Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall title unification fight in the works, but new contenders are coming up behind the curtains, promising a bright future for the division. To find consistency and become one of the world’s best, 32-year-old Kennedy Nzechukwu is gearing up for yet another matchup against surging contender Martin Buday at UFC Fight Night 256. While his UFC career hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows, ‘African Savage’ is slowly and steadily getting better with every fight inside the Octagon.
Kennedy Nzechukwu has been a professional fighter for eight years now, and despite winning a matchup on Dana White‘s Contender Series in 2017, he didn’t earn a contract then. However, after registering a second win on the same show a year later, the UFC CEO signed him to a contract. But do you have any idea about Nzechukwu’s background? Well, let’s take a deeper look at it, shall we?
What is Kennedy Nzechukwu’s ethnicity and nationality?
There are quite a few fighters who have origins in Nigeria, but there’s only one of them who was born in that country and still represents it, and that is Kennedy Nzechukwu. The 32-year-old does represent his country, but like many of the other Nigerian-origin fighters, he also moved to the United States with his family (in 2010). However, he still represents his native country, as mentioned, which makes him a Nigerian citizen.
At 6-foot-5-inches with a reach of 83 inches, Kennedy Nzechukwu is no normal heavyweight; he’s a giant indeed. He was born in Imo State, the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, where the majority of the people are of Igbo ethnicity. Although he hasn’t mentioned anything about his ethnic origin, Nzechukwu could be assumed to be an Igbo, given that Igbo people make up almost the whole population of that state.
Having established his roots and background, let’s move over to look at another aspect of Kennedy Nzechukwu’s personal life, which is his religion. Here’s what we know about the 32-year-old heavyweight.
Which religion does Kennedy Nzechukwu follow?
Coming from Nigeria, which is predominantly a religious nation, Kennedy Nzechukwu and presumably his family are indeed devout Christians. ‘African Savage’ has been quite open about his religious beliefs through his social media handles, where he has shared multiple posts that include verses from the Bible or messages catering to his faith. The 32-year-old has even credited God for all the good things that have happened in his life, especially in mixed martial arts.
“God is who guides me. I know some people might not be that religious, but I believe in God and I believe he gives me the strength to do everything I’m doing right now,” Kennedy Nzechukwu told UFC.com. “All the victories and all the accomplishments are all because of him. He gives me the willpower. Besides that, I don’t know what I would do.”
Well, the Nigerian heavyweight is living a better life now since he’s a UFC fighter. While he has his ups, growing up, Nzechukwu did have some downs as well. So, let’s dive into his early life.
Kennedy Nzechukwu’s family and background
Kennedy Nzechukwu has never opened up on anything about his father, nor is there any information in the public domain. Besides his father, the UFC fighter has his mother, whose name remains unknown to the public, and four siblings, with his older brother, who reportedly suffers from autism. After they made their way into the United States, ‘African Savage’ found himself in a pretty bad position.
Before realizing his fabled American dream, he would see his mother getting diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Moreover, his father would reject taking responsibility for looking after his mother, leading the #15 ranked heavyweight to become the sole provider and caregiver of his family.
The UFC fighter’s mom’s disease marked the failure of the neurons to control the voluntary muscles. For the unversed, Kennedy Nzechukwu was just 18 years old and had been putting in the work while training at Fortis MMA gym. The head coach of the gym, Sayif Saud, would claim that Nzechukwu’s mother played an important part in his stepping into this sport.
“His mom was the first one that brought him to the gym,” said Sayid Saud to the UFC. “Kennedy is a six-foot-four, giant kid and came in as a teenager, and his mom is this little lady, maybe five-foot-two; tiny, but powerful, and she came in and said, ‘This is my son. I want him to get trained and get some discipline.’” It is safe to say that his mother had a lot to do with putting the taste of MMA in his mouth because Kennedy Nzechukwu would also drop out of college to pursue a full-time career in it.
The 32-year-old is currently on a 2-fight win streak at the moment and now has a chance to push himself into the top contender’s scene and add another win to his record. Will the Nigerian star shine against Martin Buday, who’s also a DWCS alum and has lost just one fight in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2021? Let us know in the comments down below.
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