Fans are in for a treat this month as we had two UFC PPVs lined up in October. With one PPV wrapped up, we are inching closer to the second one, UFC 308, which will play host to the only heavyweight fight on the card between Justin Tafa and 32-year-old Kennedy Nzechukwu. While the former has been in focus for a while, we’ll take a deeper into the personal details of ‘African Savage’ with less than a couple of weeks left for the PPV.

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. But after registering a second win on the same show a year later, the UFC CEO signed him to a contract. He’s gearing up for his third PPV fight against Justin Tafa. But what is his background? Well, let’s take a deeper look at it, shall we?

Where is Kennedy Nzechukwu from? 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), but he still represents his native country, thus making 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.

Nzechukwu’s introduction to MMA happened due to a significant person in his life. If you’re wondering who that could be, well, it was his mother. However, things weren’t always mellow for the heavyweight contender because his mother would once face a terrible medical condition.

What happened to Kennedy Nzechukwu’s mother?

When Kennedy Nzechukwu moved to the United States back when he was 18 years old, things weren’t always bright. Before realizing his American dream, he would see his mother getting diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This disease marks the failure of the neurons to control the voluntary muscles. Having started his MMA 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,” Sayid Saud told 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 in 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. UFC 308 is not just a fight for Kennedy Nzechukwu, but also a chance to push himself into the top contender’s scene. Will the Nigerian star shine against Justin Tafa? Let us know in the comments down below.