Kamaru Usman talks Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing while working on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: “It was an emotional journey”
Former UFC welterweight champion ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Kamaru Usman was featured in Marvel’s new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever feature motion picture. The star of Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman, passed away in 2020, and the filming for the second film still went ahead with an adjusted story.
The Nigerian-American athlete sat down with Olympian Daniel Cormier and Super Bowl Champion Ryan Clark to discuss the film. When it came to respecting the passing of Boseman, Usman explained:
“The whole life of the movie, the whole life of the set, shooting, it was an emotional journey for all those actors and actresses that were there on set. Because, and I wasn’t around for the first movie, but being a part of the second one, you got to see how much he meant to the movie, and how much he actually had his hands in the making of the movie. So it was very emotional. I mean shooting some of the scenes there was some tough days on set with some of the actors and actresses because they were so connected to him and everything that he meant to that franchise.”
Usman continued and added that the accomplished director Ryan Coogler became the glue that kept the film together. Usman continued:
“That’s the great thing about Ryan [Coogler], the director. Ryan is such an amazing director and I think they did a great job of really paying homage to the late great Chadwick [Boseman].”
See the full interview with Kamaru Usman discussing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever below:
Kamaru Usman on re-capturing his world title
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Kamaru Usman was an NCAA Division II standout wrestler before transitioning to MMA. The Nigerian-American athlete put together a very impressive 15-fight win streak, plus capturing the UFC welterweight world title in 2019. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ ruled this division with an iron fist until Leon Edwards captured the crown earlier this year.
On getting back into the Octagon, Usman explained that he needs to take his time and not rush. He explained:
“I’m ready to get back, I’m ready to get to the other one, to the next one, and the next one. So now, they just got to make sure that they take protective measures to hold me back so I can make sure that I can fight properly.”
