At UFC Atlanta, Kamaru Usman finally flipped the script, snapping his three-fight skid to return to the win column in dominant fashion. Facing Joaquin Buckley, Usman looked like his vintage self—methodical, powerful, and relentless. Buckley had no answers as the former welterweight king controlled the bout from start to finish. After the win, Usman roared, “I have been and always will be the f—ing boogeyman,” reasserting his claim as a serious title contender.

And just as the dust settled, Usman’s close friend Israel Adesanya stirred the pot, throwing what seemed like unintentional shade at Buckley. It’s a surprising move, especially coming from the former two-time middleweight champ, who’s currently navigating his own redemption arc. While supporting his long-time friend on match day, Israel Adesanya attacked Buckley, calling him out for no reason at all, “I hate this n—-, bro. I don’t even use the word hate lightly, but I hate this n—-, bro,” said Adesanya.

He further added, “Something about him just f—— annoys me Like, literally, I’m just trying to chill talk, [then Buckley is] like, hey man, we gotta get this going… Like he’s rapping to me every single time. He’s just so f—— annoying. At one point, I literally just walked away as he was talking. Maybe I’m just a hater, bro… I’m a hater, bro. I understand it now. I get it. I understand it now. I’ll be sipping that ‘haterade’, man. Retire, I’m finally a hater. I understand it now.”

Quite strange coming from Israel Adesanya. Why? Isn’t he supposed to be on a redemption arc after suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis, and Nassourdine Imavov? The fighter even mended his relationships with Kelvin Gastelum and Alex Pereira, so it was quite shocking when he made those remarks about Buckley.

So, why the animosity? Let’s go back to the time when Adesanya lost his bout against Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia. ‘Izzy’ was knocked out by the Dagestani—a major setback for the MMA community. And guess who took to X to throw shade at the former middleweight champ? None other than Joaquin Buckley. ‘New Mansa’ wrote, “Once I gave my take on how to beat Izzy on JRE, I feel like Buddy’s career has never been the same. Congrats to Nassourdin, maybe we run it back in the future.”

Israel Adesanya never really gave much importance to the banter, but it appears he did take it to heart, as his recent statements resonate with how he feels about ‘New Mansa’. Well, this was the first welterweight loss for Buckely, who was riding a six-fight winning streak. After the defeat, the St. Louis, Missouri native released his first statement honoring the legacy of Usman. Let’s have a look at it.

Joaquin Buckley releases initial statement after UFC Atlanta shocker

Ahead of UFC Atlanta, Joaquin Buckley aimed to cement himself as the next title contender by knocking out Kamaru Usman and putting him away for good. However, reality hit hard, as the former welterweight champion dominated the fight and secured a unanimous decision victory with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47. The loss was tough for Buckley, but despite the setback, he hasn’t budged.

Taking to his social media handle, Buckley stated, “Look, Atlanta was good to us, baby, We sold out the arena. It was a major opportunity for me to go out there and show up and show out. I truly believe I did that. Especially in the fifth round, we had Usman backing up, trying to get those takedowns. We stuffed every one. But don’t get it twisted. Even though my hand was not raised, I still feel victorious. But still, shout out to Kamaru Usman.”

He further added, “You are truly a legend, you are truly a GOAT. Thank you for the opportunity, for allowing me to be able to step into the octagon with you, and grace me with your presence. It was a lot of pressure that was on us that night, but I truly feel privileged that I was out there and able to put some worries on that boy, had that boy sweating. It just shows what our real capabilities are. I truly, truly believe we’re going to take this time and get better and come back even stronger.”

With his defeat against Kamaru Usman, a title shot is off the table for Joaquin Buckley—at least for now. However, the fight has now exposed him to several rising contenders in the promotion who are eager to make a name for themselves. A clash against Carlos Prates makes sense at this point, considering both fighters are coming off a loss and are still relatively new, if we consider the UFC’s welterweight division.