"It truly took a village to build back" - Kamaru Usman reflects on comeback journey after UFC return
Kamaru Usman recently opened up about his journey back to the octagon following his successful return at UFC Atlanta last Saturday. Usman earned a unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley in the main event to snap his three-fight losing skid.
Usman had been out of action since his majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in 2023. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' took all of 2024 to recover from his nagging injuries and get healthy again with hopes of making another title run when he returned.
Before his return bout against Buckley, Usman had expressed interest in not only going after the welterweight championship but also going after the middleweight championship. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' proved that he is still very much a top contender in the welterweight division and re-inserted himself back into the title picture following his impressive performance and win over 'New Mansa'
The former UFC champion recently took to his X account to express his gratitude to his coaches and teammates for helping him make a successful return. Usman posted:
"It truly takes a village to build back. I'm so incredibly thankful to my family, team and friends. Back to the drawing board and on to the next. Thank you [prayer emoji] @AliAbdelaziz00 @henrihooft @CosmoAlexandre @ssorianoMMA @DrCPeacock @Justin_Gaethje @king_colgan"
Check out Kamaru Usman's post below:
Francis Ngannou congratulates Kamaru Usman on successful UFC return
Francis Ngannou, who is a close friend of Kamaru Usman, was on hand during fight week, both at the ceremonial weigh-in and in attendance supporting the former UFC welterweight champion.
Following Usman's unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley, Ngannou took to his X account to share his reaction to 'The Nigerian Nightmare's' performance and gave props to competitors for putting on an entertaining bout. 'The Predator' wrote:
"Congrats to my brother @USMAN85kg for his amazing victory last night. It's inspiring to see him do that after all he's been through lately. Congrats to @Newmansa94 on his impressive performance. That round 5! [fire emoji]"
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments below: