Former UFC champion Welterweight Kamaru Usman feared that lightning would strike twice at UFC Atlanta.
Earlier this month, Kamaru Usman achieved its first UFC victory in four years at the UFC Atlanta Main Event. Usman ended Joaquin Buckley's Welterweight Winwreak by unanimous decision to return to the title photo of the Division.
Usman used his elite struggling to suppress Buckley's wild striking and coast for a decisive victory in the Octagon. He broke a three-field losing series and earned his first victory in general since he defeated Colby Covington in their UFC 268 Rematch.
But according to Usman, a disaster almost struck UFC Atlanta.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Leon Edwards Head Kick Knockout continued to chase Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta
After a dominant first four rounds of the fight by Usman, Buckley gathered in round 5 with a flurry of large strikes that turn the former UFC Welterweight champion upside down. But Usman was able to work through the comeback attempt by Buckley and the last minutes of the fight.
Then Usman vs. Buckley came to the last minutes, thought USman to pour the pressure and work towards a knockout before his inner voice sent him away.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Usman was asked late in the fight for his way of thinking when Buckley put him under pressure in round 5.
'I'm not even going to lie to you in the last moment [felt long]. There was a minute in my head where I thought: “He throws so hard that you can catch him and turn it off now.” What an explanation that would be. You can now disable it! “Said Usman.
“Then I remembered the last time I had that thought. Round 5, Salt Lake City, Utah, Leon Edwards. ' He is broken! You can now disable it! . '
“There is another minute left … and I am something like 'yes, I know I can switch it off. But let's continue and use this footwork' [LAUGHS]. “
After a dominant first four rounds in what his last welterweight would turn out to be on UFC 278, Usman was caught by a main kick by Leon Edwards with about a minute in the fight, making him cold. It was one of the most shocking knockouts in the history of UFC and a wonderful victory of the Behind for Edwards.
The main kick began a three-field losing series for Usman, including back-to-back title losses for Edwards. Before UFC Atlanta, Usman had not fought anymore since a short-notice middleweight loss for Khamzat Chimaev on UFC 294.
Kamaru Usman rejected No. 1 Candidate fight with old opponent after UFC Atlanta
After beating Buckley, Usman is immediately back in the Welterweight title mix and called for the winner of Jack della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev. Maddalena is expected to be confronted with Makhachev later this year after beating Belal Muhammad for the title last month at UFC 315.
Usman and Muhammad have been hurdling for months and almost entered a full-out fight on the set of Usman's Pound 4 pound podcast. Muhammad called Usman on social media after UFC Atlanta, but Usman responded with radio silence.
A matchup between Usman and Muhammad could possibly come out after UFC Atlanta, if Usman signs the dotted line. But in both cases, Usman proved his resilience to return to the winning column after a long battle.