It goes big or goes home for UFC's Kamaru Usman.
A top-2 welterweight of all time, the former UFC champion is preparing for his return to the Octagon after the longest resignation and the worst losing slip of his career.
Kamaru Usman has not been to the win column in almost four years, with its welterweight title and pound-for-pound #1 status removed by old rival Leon Edwards by Headkick Ko in 2022.
What followed for Usman were back-to-back decision defeats in his title Rematch with Edwards and his middleweight debut against Khamzat Chimaev, which was aware of UFC 294 in 2023 on 9 days.
One of the most active champions in recent memory, we have not seen Usman competing since, with his long -awaited return finally confirmed for this summer.
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Joaquin Buckley to welcome Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta
Usman, who will be 38 in May, is planned to go five rounds in his first fight in 18 months.
His opponent? #6 UFC Welterweight Joaquin Buckley, who has an absolute tear since he left the middleweight division.
On Friday, UFC CEO Dana White announced on his Instagram Live that Usman vs. Buckley would serve as the most important event of a UFC Fight Night event in Atlanta, Georgia on 14 June.
UFC Atlanta will take place from the State Farm Arena, co-headlined by a flying weight matchup between former two-time stream weight champion Rose Namajunas and Miranda Maverick.
The 30-year-old Buckley is one of the newer contenders that appears on 170 pounds next to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry and Jack della Maddalena.
Buckley's 6-0 in the Welterweight Division, in which various eternal contenders are eliminated, such as Vicente Luque, Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson and recently Colby Covington, demonstrably the largest rival in Usman.
They are explosively coming, Buckley proved how dangerous he was last October by becoming the second man in the UFC history to knock out Thompson, one of the best strikers of the UFC of all time.
Buckley also has one of the best knockouts in MMA, who learns a spinning-kick in the air in the air to sleep, Impa Kasanganay after capturing his first kick.
Joaquin Buckley's epic call-out from Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman was one of the three names that Joaquin Buckley asked to follow his impressive Doctor interruption TKO of Covington in December.
After the bleeding of the former interim champion, Buckley went on the microphone and let the fans decide who they wanted to see him fight.
“I'm going to give you three names, the one you make the most noise for, that's who I am going to choose my next opponent,” Buckley said in his interview after the fight in UFC Tampa.
Buckley called Edwards, Usman and the current Champion Belal Muhammad, who received the least reception.
Between Edwards and Usman the crowd had a louder doll for 'The Nigerian Nightmare' with the UFC buyer that eventually moved ahead. That is a way to get a fight.
A victory here can possibly land a title opportunities against Belal Muhammad.