By Daily Sports Nigeria on June 12, 2025

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has reiterated that he remains the division’s finest fighter, as he builds up to his highly anticipated bout against American opponent Joaquin Buckley at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States this weekend, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Nigerian Nightmare, who is currently ranked fifth, is coming into the bout this weekend off the back of three consecutive defeats. While as champion, he first lost his belt to challenger Leon Edwards in August 2022 in a fight he clearly dominated until a last-minute head kick knocked him out. The pair had a rematch bout seven months later, with Usman losing the close contest by decision. The Edo state indigene then accepted a deal to fight Khamzat Chimaev on 10 days notice in a middleweight contest, which he also lost by decision.

Despite the recent losses and setbacks, Usman is adamant he is ready to go against the 31-year-old Buckley. He told media outlet TMZ Sports, “I feel good. I feel good, you know? I’m out here sipping tea. Very serene. Absolutely, I feel like I’m better than every one of those guys ahead of me. Joaquin is very, very aggressive. Younger, hungry, tough dude. Very, very explosive. Aggressive. And he is pretty well-rounded.”

Usman, 38, added, “It’s my job to go in there and just kind of let him know that, ‘You’re doing a good thing, but you know you’re just not there yet.” When asked if a victory would set him up for another shot at the championship title, he responded, “Absolutely. I think with a finish over Buckley this weekend, I’m next in line for that shot. If you really look at the division and you look at the landscape of where we are with the UFC and everyone, I don’t mean to sound some type of way, but I think as far as looking for the biggest name and the biggest fight in that division, I think it’s me.”

Usman, who is experiencing the worst stretch of his career, currently has a fight record of 20 wins, zero draws and four defeats. His adversary, Buckley, is ranked seventh and is on a six-fight winning streak which includes victories over Vicente Luque, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Colby Covington in that stretch. Buckley’s record stands at 21 wins, zero draws and six losses in his professional career.

Source Punch Ng

Posted June 12, 2025

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