Kamaru Usman was visibly emotional, shedding tears after clinching a crucial victory in his return to the octagon. This fight was considered a must-win moment for the former champion.
The one-time welterweight and pound-for-pound king stepped back into the cage for the first time in 20 months. He faced Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Atlanta.
Concerns had grown about the future of Usman`s elite career following three consecutive losses to Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev.
However, the 38-year-old rolled back the years with a dominant, stifling performance that lasted the full five rounds. He earned a unanimous decision victory with official scorecards reading 49–46, 49–46, and 48–47.
An emotional Usman teared up during his post-fight interview, stating: “It’s been a while. I needed to get that monkey off my back. I know I’m still able to do this at the highest level.”
He elaborated on his strategy: “Sometimes when you’re going up against a young, hungry guy like that, very talented, very aggressive, you’ve got to pull out the skills and use your experience. And that’s what I did tonight.”
Usman believes his victory over the surging Buckley serves as a clear message to those who doubted him.
Addressing the frequent online jokes about his physical condition, particularly his knees, Usman was direct: “I know it’s a running joke, everybody wants to get on the internet and talk s***, ‘Oh, his knees, his knees.’ Well, shut the f*** up, I can still do what I do.”
He confidently added: “I could do that to anybody [in the welterweight division], any one of them. But like I said, I needed to get that monkey off my back. Early on in my career as I was rolling, once I had that monkey off my back and I knew I was rolling, I was able to open up. And you guys saw those spectacular knockouts. I still got them in there.”
Following his successful return to the win column, Usman has now set his sights on reclaiming the welterweight title.
He finished his statement with a roar: “I have been, and always will be, the f**king boogeyman."
