After nearly four years without a win and persistent questions about his decline, Kamaru Usman roared back into relevance on Saturday night with a commanding performance at UFC Atlanta — one that reasserted his place among the greatest welterweights in MMA history.
Dubbed ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, Usman impressed the judges with a commanding performance, earning scorecards of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 after five rounds in the welterweight showdown, according to SuperSport.
His recent run included the loss of his UFC welterweight title to Leon Edwards in August 2022.
“It feels good. It’s been a while,” Usman said post-fight. “I needed to get that monkey off my back. I know I’m still able to do this at the highest level. You have to pull off the skills and use the experience. I feel good.”
While utilizing his wrestling pedigree to neutralize Buckley’s striking threat, Usman executed takedowns in each of the first four rounds and maintained control on the canvas, limiting his opponent’s offense and steadily building a lead on the scorecards.
Though, the fight never looked close to ending inside the distance, as Usman’s strategic groundwork proved decisive.
