Who was the first African-born UFC champion?

Kamaru Usman was the first African-born UFC champion.

Usman won the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 235 on March 2, 2019, defeating Tyron Woodley by unanimous decision. Usman was born in Auchi, Nigeria, and moved to the United States as a child.

His title win preceded the UFC championship victories of fellow African-born fighters Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou. That group became known informally as part of an influential African wave in the UFC, although each fighter represented a different division and fighting background.

Usman defended the welterweight title five times. He was eventually defeated by Leon Edwards at UFC 278 in 2022. A common mix-up is confusing birthplace with nationality or sporting representation: this question refers specifically to being born in Africa, which makes Usman the earliest of the three prominent UFC champions born on the continent.