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Brett Okamoto
When Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley first squared off this week, forward of their welterweight conflict at UFC Battle Night time inside Atlanta’s State Farm Area (10 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+; prelims at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+), the 31-year-old contender had a query for the 38-year-old former champion.
“How’s it really feel going up in opposition to the brand new gen?” Buckley requested.
Buckley’s job is to combat, in fact, however in that second, he instantly addressed essentially the most urgent subject of this complete occasion to the one individual holding the reply.
Nearing 40 and greater than three years faraway from his final win, what does Usman have left? Can he nonetheless be an element within the 170-pound title image? Or is he about to develop into cannon fodder for somebody like Buckley, who enters the weekend on a six-fight successful streak and who publicly referred to as for this particular matchup on the finish of final yr?
Usman, who hasn’t fought since October 2023, declined to answer Buckley’s probe. When requested about it later, he mentioned, “I am simply f—ing drained. Why do I should be speaking? On Saturday, we will be locked in [the Octagon], and that is when I’ll do the speaking.”
Three years in the past, Usman was a UFC champion and widely considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He suffered a Hail Mary, head kick knockout within the ultimate minute of a five-round title combat in opposition to Leon Edwards on Aug. 20, 2022, and has struggled to seek out his footing since. He misplaced to Edwards in an immediate rematch in March 2023 then got here up quick in a short notice fight in opposition to Khamzat Chimaev that October.
He has been sidelined since, saying he took time to concentrate on nonfighting features of his life and “little accidents that had been nagging” whereas he was an energetic champion. He additionally was ready for the best alternative. Extra quick discover fights had been thrown his method — which he entertained, as a result of he says he loves saving the day for the UFC — however in the end he opted to carry out for a state of affairs that places him in what he believes is the most effective place to win.
“We need to end this the best method,” Usman instructed ESPN of his preventing profession. “Slightly than simply soar in there on per week’s discover.”
If Usman upsets Buckley — as of Friday he’s a +230 betting underdog, according to ESPN BET — his aspirations are nonetheless these of a fighter very a lot in his prime. He needs to face the winner of an anticipated however unconfirmed title combat between welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena and former light-weight champion Islam Makhachev. And if he had been to get the combat and reclaim the belt, he would do one thing he by no means got here critically near doing throughout his first title reign: transfer as much as problem for a second belt.
“I will lay out the plan proper right here,” Usman mentioned. “End Buckley this weekend, then look ahead to the winner of Islam and [Della Maddalena]. Who would not purchase a ticket to the previous pound-for-pound [Usman] in opposition to the present pound-for-pound [Makhachev]? I feel that is one thing Islam and I’d each keep in mind perpetually.
“Win that, in all probability vacate and go put myself in opposition to [middleweight champion] Dricus Du Plessis or Khamzat Chimaev.”
It is the precise mindset you need to see from a returning former champion who was quiet about his preventing future throughout his layoff. There’ll probably be skepticism about how lifelike Usman’s plan is, but when he seems to be just like the champion he as soon as was Saturday, there might be new questions.
For now, there’s just one: How does he really feel going up in opposition to the brand new gen?
