Kamaru Usman reacts to Dana White announcing his return against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta
Kamaru Usman will return to action for the first time in over a year when he faces off against surging contender Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta on June 14. The pair will headline the card, according to the recent announcement made by UFC CEO Dana White.
The former welterweight champion's previous bout came in the form of a short-notice clash with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. The fight took place at middleweight, where 'Borz' currently competes, and Usman suffered a majority decision defeat in his divisional debut.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' shared his initial thoughts on his return against Buckley during a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound Podcast, co-hosted by Usman and Henry Cejudo.
The No. 4-ranked welterweight contender said this:
"I'm tired of all the talking. I had to take a little bit of a sabbatical, like I've said. Now I'm back from that sabbatical. That's right, Henry, you heard it right. Your boy is back in there. I'm ready to spin. You know what they say, if you wannna win, put Boobie in. I'm ready, Henry. I'm back in there June 14th, live from Atlanta, Georgia taking on [Joaquin Buckley]." [0:38-1:03]
He added:
"It's a great fight, he's very aggressive, he's strong, he's athletic. I like that. Every now and again, that warrior-spirit, you need to exercise it. That's what we come from. I'm one of those guys, to where I put in so much time and effort, you've got to feel the fight a little bit." [3:23-3:45]
Check out Kamaru Usman's comments on facing Joaquin Buckley below:
Joaquin Buckley shares reaction to the biggest fight of his career against Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta
Joaquin Buckley is set for the biggest fight of his career, a main event clash against former champion Kamaru Usman, one of the greatest welterweights in MMA history.
'New Mansa' is currently riding a six-fight winning streak, with four of those victories coming via TKO/KO, and is in the form of his career. Whilst his opponent has suffered three consecutive defeats, Usman will enter UFC Atlanta after the longest break of his fighting career.
Following the announcement of their bout, Buckley took to Instagram and said this:
"June 14th I'm fighting Kamaru Usman, and guess what? Once I knock that man out, there's no argument bro, I'm next for that title shot. So I just want to thank the UFC, I want to thank TKO, I want to thank Dana White."
Check out Joaquin Buckley's comments below: