The story of Kamaru Usman will forever be etched in golden letters in UFC history as one of the most complete welterweights the division has ever seen. After three long years in the red, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ finally returned to the win column with a unanimous decision victory over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta. The exile is over, and Usman has tasted victory once again. Coming off a three-fight skid, he admitted backstage that he felt like he was in a coma, and this win was the jolt he desperately needed.

Following his victory over Colby Covington at UFC 268 in 2021, Kamaru Usman’s record took a hit after suffering defeats to Leon Edwards twice and Khamzat Chimaev once. These losses pushed ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ to the point where he began to question his purpose inside the Octagon. After back-to-back defeats, Usman decided it was time to take a break from his career. He took approximately two years off before finally deciding to fight again.

During the UFC Atlanta post-fight press conference, Kamaru Usman expressed that it was difficult for him to experience such defeats, as it was the first time in his life he had ever gone through something like that. “It’s hard, I mean, uh, it’s been a while since, uh, not just with getting back in here, but obviously getting in the win columns. Um, I battled a lot of things just to get here. Just, uh, repairing my body, just physically, personally. A lot of things that I had to just kinda, I guess, uh, express it would be fighting a lot of demons just to get back in here.” 

Kamaru Usman fought Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 on short notice after ‘Borz’s original opponent, Paulo Costa, pulled out due to a severe staph infection. Despite stepping in with just a few days’ notice, Usman delivered an impressive performance against Chimaev, who had a full training camp and was highly motivated to cement his status in the middleweight division.

He further added, “So, uh, I just want us to, you know, recognize them. I want to recognize, uh, my family, my mom, dad, brothers, sister, T-baby, Sammy, Zina, baby, I love you guys. Guys get dismissive. Like, what are we doing here? You know, don’t forget I can wrestle. I’ve always been able to wrestle. I batted a lot of things in that Khamzat fight, but I’m back now. So, you know, respect every aspect of my game that we can get back to throwing hands.”

With a victory in hand, Kamaru Usman now has his eyes set on the title once again. But the real question is—can he get past the new-age warriors? While everyone is eager to find out, the former champion seems to have a game plan to defeat the younger generation, and so far, it appears to be working for him. So, what’s next for Usman? Let’s find out.

Kamaru Usman plans to fight for the title sooner or later

Many within the MMA community had written off Kamaru Usman after his back-to-back defeats, but that proved to be a premature judgment. There’s no stopping ‘The Nigerian Nightmare.’ Ahead of his fight at UFC Atlanta, Usman sat down with ESPN for a candid conversation. During the interview, the former welterweight champion expressed his determination to win at UFC Atlanta, which he successfully did, and revealed his intention to fight the winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena.

“I’ll lay out the plan right here,” Usman said. “Finish Buckley this weekend, then wait for the winner of Islam and [Della Maddalena]. Who wouldn’t buy a ticket to the former pound-for-pound [Usman] against the current pound-for-pound [Makhachev]? I think that’s something Islam and I will both remember forever.”

He further added, “Win that, probably vacate and go put myself against [middleweight champion] Dricus Du Plessis or Khamzat Chimaev.” Well, this is exactly the mindset one needs if they want to make it big after their prime. We’ve seen Alexander Volkanovski regain his title at UFC 314, breaking the curse—can the same happen with Kamaru Usman? Well, we’ll have to wait and see.