Former UFC champion Kamaru Usman has taken a unique route in response to Joaquin Buckley's recent call-up at UFC Tampa.
Joaquin Buckley picked up the biggest win of his career by defeating Kamaru Usman's two-time rival, Colby Covington, in the UFC Tampa main event. After leaving Covington's face a bloody mess, the fight was canceled due to a doctor's stoppage while Buckley continued his winning streak at welterweight.
After his finish in Covington, Buckley wasted no time in calling up Usman for his next fight. After gauging the crowd's interest in the arena, Usman appeared to be Buckley's next desired opponent for a potential No. 1 matchup.
Usman was sitting on the side of the cage when Buckley called him, but did not immediately respond to Buckley while he was present. But it didn't take long for Usman to take the time to answer Buckley's call.
Kamaru Usman 'feels like the hot girl' in the UFC welterweight division
During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman opened up on Buckley's call at UFC Tampa.
“I feel like the hot girl at the bar, everyone wants a piece,” Usman said. 'It's almost like no one is listening to what I'm saying. Nobody understands what I say. I don't care who it is. Shavkat [Rakhmonov]Belal, Ian [Machado Garry]Buckley, 'J.D.M.' [Jack Della Maddalena]I don't care who it is.” (h/t MMA Fights)
Usman then highlighted why Buckley was successful against his two-time rival.
“First of all, shout out to Buckley, he did a great job because he was able to beat a guy like Covington,” Usman explained. “With Covington being away for so long, I don't know how he's going to show up, but everyone knows that as the fight comes later, Covington gets a little bit more comfortable, so it would be how quickly he was able to show up . the ring rusts off and get to work. Buckley didn't really let him.”
Usman knows a thing or two about facing Covington, having defeated him twice while retaining his welterweight title. Their two matchups are considered by many to be two of the greatest fights in UFC history.
Usman hasn't fought since a middleweight loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. He's teasing a return to the welterweight division for the first time since back-to-back title losses to Leon Edwards.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Kamaru Usman adds to intriguing UFC welterweight title photo
As for Buckley, he is undefeated since making the full-time move up to 170 pounds last year. He knocked out Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 after defeating the likes of Vicente Luque and Alex Morono in the Octagon.
When Usman returns to welterweight, he will be returning to the division at a time when there is quite a bit of shake-up at the top of the heap. UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is expected to return next year against Shavkat Rakhmonov, and other rising contenders like Buckley, Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Machado Garry are also waiting in the wings.
Only time will tell if the UFC matchmakers grant Buckley's request for the Usman fight. For now, Usman is focusing on building back to the cage at a calculated pace as he plots his next move.
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