Din Thomas questions if ex-UFC champ Kamaru Usman 'has the knees' to beat Joaquin Buckley
Din Thomas questions if ex-UFC champ Kamaru Usman 'has the knees' to beat Joaquin Buckley
Din Thomas would like to see one of the all-time greats Kamaru Usman bounce back against Joaquin Buckley in the UFC on ESPN 69 main event, but he has his concerns.
Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) will return to competition for the first time since October 2023 when he meets Buckley (22-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in the main event of the June 14 card at State Farm Arena in Atlanta (ESPN, ESPN+). The former welterweight champion is on a three-fight losing skid, albeit with two losses against Leon Edwards in title fights and another against Khamzat Chimaev on short notice.
Turning 38 on May 11, there are valid questions about what more Usman can achieve. He has been open about his struggles getting healthy enough to compete, and UFC analyst Thomas sees it as a tall task to shut down the momentum of a streaking Buckley, who has won his past six fights with four knockouts.
"I just don't know," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "This MMA game is brutal. Everyone says I'm being a hater. I'm not being a hater. I just know how brutal it is. For as much as I would like to see Kamaru go out there and do good things, I just don't know if he has the knees. I don't know if he has the knees to do it.
"Initially when I first saw the matchup, I said, 'I like Kamaru in this.' Then I started thinking about it and I'm like, 'Wait a minute, what am I saying to myself? Did I not see Joaquin Buckley do what he did to an aging Colby Covington?' And Joaquin Buckley, he moves well. He's fast. He's aggressive."
Buckley, No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, is undefeated in five fights since dropping down from 185 pounds, beating Colby Covington, Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque as part of his current streak.
The brash and outspoken 31-year-old looks like he is in peak form for a title run, and it's Usman's job to derail that and show he's still more than his current No. 8 ranking. Only the fight will determine what Usman really has left, but Thomas worries about that part of the narrative.
Thomas said that while Usman can certainly win, he can't manufacture the type of drive that Buckley has as the younger and less decorated athlete. Ultimately, he anticipated that might make the difference.
"He's more than anything else, hungry for the opportunity," Thomas said. "He's hungry to show what he can do. You've got a guy like Kamaru Usman, who is not really that hungry because he's already been fed. He ate already. He's just trying to get seconds. He's older. I don't know. I'm hoping he can go out there and put on a good fight, but I don't now. I don't see it."
To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn in the video above.
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