Fighters react to Kamaru Usman's rebound win vs. Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 69
Fighters react to Kamaru Usman's rebound win vs. Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 69
Kamaru Usman ended a nearly four-year winless drought Saturday against Joaquin Buckley in the UFC on ESPN 69 main event.
Former long-time welterweight champion Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) snapped a three-fight winless skid with a unanimous decision victory over the red-hot Buckley (22-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in the headlining bout at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Usman beating Buckley at UFC on ESPN 69.
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Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kamaru Usman: 'Everybody wants to watch' me fight Islam Makhachev for title after UFC Atlanta win
Kamaru Usman went out and taught Joaquin Buckley a thing or two about elite-level welterweight wrestling at UFC Atlanta. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) ATLANTA — Kamaru Usman is back, just as if he never left. The former UFC welterweight champion strolled into the UFC Atlanta on Saturday on the heels of a career-long 20-month layoff and three-fight losing skid that dated back to 2022. Yet tasked with surging top contender Joaquin Buckley, Usman showed no signs of slowing down at age 38, winning a one-sided unanimous decision. Advertisement Speaking after the win, Usman described the performance as his "y'all must have forgot" moment. "I know it's been a while," Usman said, "and after the last one [against Khamzat Chimaev], going up against a young, strong, hungry guy, one of the most dangerous and terrifying guys — I was dealing with some things going into that one, but I took the fight with short notice. And because of that fight, it's almost like they forgot I could f***ing wrestle, and they got dismissive and borderline disrespectful. So I just had to pull out the skill and just let them know, 'Hey, respect every aspect of my game.'" Usman made his ambitions clear during fight week — and that was to claim another title before his time is up. Obviously that goal starts with his old welterweight strap, which is now in the possession of Jack Della Maddalena. The new champion will have his work cut out for him in his first title defense, as Della Maddalena is expected to face now-former lightweight king — and Uncrowned's No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter — Islam Makhachev sometime in the second half of 2025. Advertisement While the fight has yet to be made official, Usman is expecting it to unfold, and he wants to challenge the winner. "I only had to really use one skill tonight, and everyone knows I can knock you out with my hands," Usman said. "But if you're going to give me that [takedown], I'm going to take it. So let's be honest — I'm the biggest [name] in the division. This is about entertainment. The UFC is an entertainment company. You want to make the biggest fight? It's going to be [me versus] the winner of 'JDM' and Islam. "If Islam pulls that one out, former pound-for-pound [versus] current pound-for-pound — who doesn't pay for that? "I was able to come in there and really utilize one skill," Usman continued, "but hey, I still possess what it takes to be the best in this division. It's only up from here." For Usman, while the prospect of a Makhachev matchup is understandably more enticing than the young-gun champion from Australia, he's not doubting Della Maddalena's chance to pull off an upset. Advertisement "'JDM' is no slouch, let's not look past 'JDM,'" Usman said. "I said that in his last fight, and he went out there and showed you guys, don't look past him. He's very, very talented. Islam is extremely talented. I love Islam. I think him coming in makes that division a lot more interesting. "So if he's able to get in there and wrestle that belt away from 'JDM,' current pound-for-pound [versus] former pound-for-pound, I think everybody wants to watch that [fight between us]." Della Maddalena's bout to win the title came against Belal Muhammad in one of the best fights of the year at UFC 315 this past May. Long before Usman's title reign ended at the hands of Leon Edwards three years ago, Usman vs. Muhammad appeared to be a collision that was destined to happen. With the UFC welterweight division as loaded as ever with fresh contenders, an Usman title shot doesn't feel like a guarantee despite Usman's confidence. So what about finally making that Muhammad matchup if the title shot eludes him? Advertisement Well, let's say Usman isn't too interested. "Who? Who is that? Next. I forgot it," he said.
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an hour ago
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UFC on ESPN 69 takeaways: Ex-champs Usman, Namajunas, Garbrandt emerge in different spots
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USA Today
an hour ago
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UFC on ESPN 69 takeaways: Ex-champs Usman, Namajunas, Garbrandt emerge in different spots
UFC on ESPN 69 takeaways: Ex-champs Usman, Namajunas, Garbrandt emerge in different spots What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 69 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta? Here are a few post-fight musings … 4. Malcolm Wellmaker is a problem Malcolm Wellmaker is a legitimate bantamweight prospect to watch, and he showed why with a highlight-reel victory over Kris Moutinho to keep his undefeated record intact. Although Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was set up for this kind of moment in his home state of Georgia, it doesn't mean the result was a given. He still had to go out there and do it, and he did so in absolutely spectacular fashion. It was clear that Wellmaker had something special in him when he emphatically earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series. That was back in August, and all he's done in the 10 months since is earn two first-round face plant knockouts in the UFC, both of which got him Performance of the Night honors. Nice start for the 31-year-old. 3. Cody Garbrandt's future Cody Garbrandt fought valiantly against Raoni Barcelos in their bantamweight bout, but ultimately he came out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision and is now 3-7 in his past 10 fights. At this point, it's probably best to understand that Garbrandt (14-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) is who he is. He can beat UFC-level fighters and even be highly competitive with the upper tier on the right night, but anyone expecting him to recapture the magic that saw him become UFC champion in 2016, is probably in for an eternal wait. There was a different level of intrigue coming into this fight when we thought Garbrandt was on the final bout of his UFC contract. However, he revealed at media day that he signed a new multi-fight deal, so unless the UFC re-negs and cuts him, we are going to likely see more of him being a familiar name at 135 pounds and perhaps not much more. 2. Can Rose Namajunas rediscover title glory? Rose Namajunas showed flashes of the brilliance that made her a UFC champion twice over in her win against Miranda Maverick, even if she didn't get the finish. Former two-time strawweight titleholder Namajunas (14-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) claimed her third victory in five fight since moving up to women's flyweight in September 2023 when she outworked Maverick to a unanimous decision. A third-round knockdown sealed the deal in her favor, and that type of moment showed what "Thug" is truly capable of. Although she is only 32 and has just 20 professional fights, Namajunas has accomplished more than most fighters could dream. She wants to get another title in a second division, but 125-pounds is getting deeper and deeper by the day, and no matter how she tries to transform her body, it seems there are critical moments where her technique is overthrown by stronger and bigger opponents who are cutting more weight from bigger frames. We're not here to put a ceiling on Namajunas, though. In peak form, she can truly beat anyone on the women's side. The question, however, is how many more of those nights are left in her at this point. And she would probably agree with that sentiment. 1. How back is Kamaru Usman really? Kamaru Usman dug himself out of the trenches in a big way in the main event when he overcame naysayers, self-doubt and more to thwart Joaquin Buckley for one of the most critical victories of his career. Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) has been at the pinnacle of the sport that everyone chases for prolonged period of time, but then it all changed in seemingly the blink of an eye for the former long-reigning UFC welterweight champion, who found himself on a three-fight losing skid and as a betting underdog to Buckley, who was eager to take his spot. It wasn't happening on this night, however, because Usman brought Buckley's six-fight winning streak since dropping to 170 pounds to a halt by unanimous decision, and in the process showed he still has life as a contender in his own right. Usman appears to strongly believe he will be fighting for the title next against the winner of Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev. The likes of Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov and more will have something to say about that, but Usman is no doubt in a far better spot than he had been if this went the other way, and no matter what he should be proud to have fended off a member of the new guard when the general expectation was he wouldn't.
