After a commanding performance against Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Atlanta, Kamaru Usman has set his sights firmly on reclaiming welterweight gold. He made it clear he is not interested in any other matchups at this time, including a potential clash with former rival Belal Muhammad.
Returning to the octagon after almost two years, Usman delivered a showcase victory, reminding onlookers that he remains among the elite in the welterweight division. He emphasized that his win didn`t require showcasing his full arsenal, relying primarily on his wrestling to control Buckley for the majority of the 25 minutes.
“Because of that fight [against Khamzat Chimaev], it`s almost like they forgot I could f*cking wrestle,” Usman commented, referencing his previous loss. “They got dismissive and a little borderline disrespectful, but I just had to pull out the skill and just let them know respect every aspect of my game. Every aspect.”
Usman also spoke about the personal journey back to the win column. “It`s been a while not just with getting back in here but getting back in the win column. I battled a lot of things just to get here. Just repairing my body. Just physically, personally, a lot of things I guess the expression would be fight a lot of demons just to get back in here. A lot that I had to go through but thankfully I’m blessed with a great team, great support system, great family and I’m back here.”
Following Usman`s victory, Belal Muhammad, with whom Usman has had a long-standing rivalry, reacted on social media, posting “Congrats, see you soon.”
During the UFC Atlanta post-fight press conference, Usman was asked about the possibility of facing Muhammad next.
Usman`s response was notably dismissive: “Who is it? Who’s that? Next.”
This earned a swift retort from Muhammad online, who referenced an alleged incident during an unreleased podcast episode where he claims Usman became emotional. “The guy who made you cry on your podcast,” Muhammad fired back.
Despite the exchange, Usman remained laser-focused on his primary objective: challenging for the welterweight championship he previously held for over three years.
The current champion, Jack Della Maddalena, is expected to face former lightweight king Islam Makhachev later this year, though a date has not yet been finalized.
Usman firmly believes he is the most logical next challenger for the winner of that upcoming title bout and stated it`s the only fight that interests him.
“Let’s be honest, I’m the biggest in the division, this is about entertainment,” Usman argued. “The UFC is an entertainment company. You want make the biggest fights. It’s going to be the winner of [Jack Della Maddalena] and Islam [Makhachev]. If Islam pulls that one out, former pound-for-pound [best]-current pound-for-pound [best]—who doesn’t pay for that?”
Usman expressed respect for both Della Maddalena and Makhachev, acknowledging Makhachev`s talent and the intrigue his move to welterweight brings to the division. However, he stopped short of predicting the outcome of their fight.
“JDM is no slouch, let’s not look past JDM,” Usman said. “I said that in his last fight, he went out there and he showed you guys, don’t look past him. He’s very, very talented. Islam is extremely talented. I love Islam. I think him coming in makes that division a lot more interesting. If he’s able to get in there and wrestle that belt away from JDM, former pound-for-pound, current pound-for-pound, I mean I think everybody wants to watch that.”
Instead of offering a prediction, Usman stated his plan is simply to watch the fight unfold and prepare himself to face the victor for the title.
“I’ll be watching that fight,” Usman concluded. “I’ll take the winner.”
