Usman came to the US when he was 5. Dude was raised in the US. He's more American than Nigerian.
Kelvin Gastelum, Cain Velázquez, Ricardo Lamas, Uriah Hall, Stipe Miocic (to a lesser extent) and a host of other fighters all do the same.
How many people from Boston are very proud Irish? New York , Italian ? A Whole lot!! Nothing wrong with knowing where you come from and knowing history. Doesn't mean you'd want to live there but it is a person's roots..
Especially if you are a first or second generation American. Your parents may speak another language , speak of the old Country, the good and bad and why they're came to America. You'd be taught to live and respect where you came from. However the more generations in America that history fades. I don't see a problem with it whatsoever.
As someone also said... this also helps build a bigger fan base. Countries that don't have many fighters or top fighters will root for someone that's their own descent..
It's nothing new. Marcus Davis " the Irish Hand grenade" was very Irish based back in the day. Luigi Floravanti "the Italian Tank" or the biggest name that always walked out with the two flags ,Mexican and American showing he's American and has Mexican Heritage. Think the more MMA grows the more you will see this happen.
More we see pro fighters from other countries move to America from places like Brazil, the UK, Russia and Mexico to at first train then stay. Become American citizens and have families, if any of their offspring grow up and decide to fight, for sure they will represent both countries. Why wouldn't they? Right from the start they can increase their fan base, get more people interested in them will certainly equal more cash..