"Blood, sweat and tears," "Bro def getting that belt back" - Fans react as Kamaru Usman fights back tears after ending losing streak at UFC Atlanta
After a dominant five-round war, former UFC welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman returned to winning ways against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta. Heading into fight night, Usman was on a three-fight losing streak, having lost his strap to Leon Edwards at UFC 278 and failing to regain it in a rematch at UFC 286.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' then fought Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout on short notice at UFC 294 and lost via majority decision.
However, at UFC Atlanta, despite being the underdog, Usman demonstrated to fans his depth of expertise and ability to dominate at the age of 38. He fought a well-measured bout, staying outside Buckley's striking range, taking 'New Mansa' down and dominating in nearly every round with superior wrestling.
After getting his hands raised for the first time in years, Usman seemed emotional during the octagon interview and post-fight press conference, indicating that the victory was undoubtedly significant to him. At the post-fight presser, 'The Nigerian Nightmare discussed how a win after years means a lot and what it took to come back.
Check out Kamaru Usman getting emotional during post-fight presser below:
Fans reacted to the MMA Fighting clip on X that shared Usman's reaction. A user wrote:
"Blood sweat and tears but mostly tears with this guy ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ¤£ðŸ¤£"
Another commented:
"Bro def getting that belt back. Crotch sniff king 👑"
Check out a few more reactions below:
![Fan comments. [Screenshots courtesy: @MMAFighting on X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/06/1df2f-17500074586293-1920.jpg?w=500)
Kamaru Usman has his UFC future mapped
Kamaru Usman had earlier declared that after he gets past Joaquin Buckley, he intends to fight the winner of the Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev bout that is expected to happen later this year.
Once Usman becomes the welterweight champion, he plans to vacate and move up to middleweight to fight the champion. During the UFC Atlanta post-fight presser, he reaffirmed his desire to fight the 170-pound UFC champion next. He said:
"Let's be honest, I'm the biggest in the division, and this is about entertainment. The UFC is an entertainment company. You want to make the biggest fight, it's gonna be the winner of 'JDM' vs. Islam. If Islam pulls that one out, the former pound-for-pound vs the current pound-for-pound, who doesn't pay for that?"
Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below (17:29):