After Joaquin Buckley defeated Colby Covington via third-round technical knockout (TKO) last Saturday (Dec. 14, 2024) at UFC Tampa, he and the fans in attendance agreed that his next fight should be against former Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.
Now, “The Nigerian Nightmare” has given his response in the only way he knows how to, not only offering a rebuttal to Buckley, but to anyone else who has been calling him out since he has been on the sidelines.
“I feel like the hot chick at the bar, everybody wants a piece,” Usman said on his Pound4Pound podcast (via MMA Fighting). “It’s almost like no one’s listening to what I’m saying. No one’s getting what I’m saying. I don’t care who it is. Shavkat [Rakhmonov], Belal, Ian [Machado Garry], Buckley, ‘JDM’ [Jack Della Maddalena], I don’t care who it is. One thing that I won’t do because I’ve done it for so long and too much, which is partially why I’m having to take this layoff, is compete when I’m not ready. When I am healthy, I don’t care who it is.”
Usman hasn’t competed since losing To Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in Oct. 2023. During that span, Buckley has won five straight fights, shooting him up all the way the No. 6 spot on the official rankings.
Usman admits he was impressed with what he saw from Buckley against his old rival Covington.
“I remember watching the Buckley fight and I was drained from the whole card, but I remember watching going, ‘Oh, I like that fight. I really like that matchup,’” Usman said. “Covington took him down a couple of times. Obviously, me and Covington utilize the wrestling differently and how we approach fights. Most people know when I take you down, you’re not getting up unless I want you to get up, and so it’s different.
“I remember watching the fight and I’m going Buckley did great. First of all, shout out to Buckley, he did great for being able to go through a guy like Covington. With Covington having that long layoff, I don’t know how he’s going to show up, but everybody knows as the fight gets later, Covington gets a little bit more comfortable, so it was going to be how quick he was able to get the ring rust off and get going. Buckley didn’t really allow him to do that.”
Usman is currently riding a three-fight losing streak — the longest of his career — but is still ranked No. 3 in the division. While a fight between Buckley and the ex-champion makes sense, it doesn’t seem as if “The Nigerian Nightmare” is close to a return.