‘I would never do that to a brother’ — Kamaru Usman apologises over Anthony Joshua issue

UFC legend Kamaru Usman has publicly apologised after accidentally sharing a deeply private conversation with British boxing star Anthony Joshua.

The incident sparked backlash online after a behind-the-scenes video revealed an emotional moment between the two combat sports icons. Usman has now taken full responsibility, admitting the situation has left him heartbroken.

The controversy began after a video from an AKO MMA event in Lagos, Nigeria, surfaced online showing Usman speaking to Anthony Joshua on FaceTime.

At the time of the call, Joshua was in hospital recovering from a tragic motor accident in late December that claimed the lives of two of his teammates, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.

During the call, Joshua opened up about the crash, admitting that the reality of losing his close friends had not yet “sunk in.” The boxer later paid an emotional tribute, reflecting on not realising how special his friends were while they were still alive.

What was meant to be a private exchange between close friends, however, ended up included in a behind-the-scenes YouTube video shared by Usman, quickly going viral and drawing criticism from fans.

Reacting to the backlash, Usman issued a heartfelt apology on X, expressing regret over the mistake. The former UFC welterweight champion explained that the entire day was spent filming content for the AKO show and that it “completely slipped” his mind that the conversation had been recorded.

Usman stressed that he would never intentionally expose such a sensitive moment, describing Joshua as his “brother.” He admitted failing to properly review the footage before release and took full responsibility for not keeping the conversation private. “That’s not something I would ever do to a friend or brother,” he wrote, calling the incident a “big L” on his part.

The 38-year-old, widely regarded as one of the greatest champions in UFC history, recently returned to winning ways by defeating Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta.