Former champion scheduled to be back in action in June
Kamaru Usman is excited to make his UFC return against a dangerous contender.
Former welterweight champion Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) takes on the surging Joaquin Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 257 main event June 14 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Usman hasn’t competed since losing a short-notice fight to No. 1 middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev in October 2023, his third loss in a row. He’s been rehabilitating his body ever since.
“You know how they be Henry. They said I was going to do this, do that. But guess what Henry? I’m tired of all the talking,” Usman said on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “I had to take a little bit of a sabbatical, like I’ve said, but now I’m back from that sabbatical. That’s right Henry. You heard it right: Your boy is back.”
Buckley is unbeaten in the octagon since dropping back down to 170 pounds, finishing four of his six opponents – most recently a TKO of Colby Covington in the UFC on ESPN 63 headliner this past December.
“It’s a great fight,” Usman said of Buckley. “He’s very aggressive, he’s strong, he’s athletic, and I like that. Every now and again, that warrior spirit, you need to exercise it. That’s where we come from, Henry. I’m one of those guys where I put in so much time and effort, that you’ve got to feel the fight a little bit.
“You want to get in there and feel like you got into a fight, and I’ve been in a couple where I wasn’t touched, and I got out of there, in the back, still adrenaline going, feeling like I need to burn off some energy. But hopefully, if he does his homework, everything comes together, it’s going to be an incredible fight.”
