Kamaru Usman Gets Real about ‘Headshot, Dead’ Flashbacks at UFC Atlanta

UFC veteran Kamaru Usman admits having scary flashbacks during his fight against Joaquin Buckley in the final rounds at UFC Atlanta

Kamaru Usman Gets Real about ‘Headshot, Dead’ Flashbacks at UFC Atlanta

Kamaru Usman talks about getting head kick flashbacks at UFC Atlanta (via X)

At UFC Atlanta, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman shocked everyone by defeating rising prospect Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision. It was Usman’s first official UFC win in four long years following three tough, back-to-back losses against elite welterweight competition. The fighter managed to bounce back from the humiliation caused by the nasty head kick from Leon Edwards.

Going into the fight, Buckley was the betting favourite to win, but Usman turned the tables from the very first round. He used his dominant wrestling to systematically dismantle ‘New Mansa’, leaving the explosive fighter completely helpless in the final rounds. In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto, Usman revealed he stopped himself from trying to finish Buckley intentionally.

There was a minute in my head where I was like ‘He’s throwing so hard, that you can catch him and knock him out, right now’. What a statement that would be. You can knock him out right now! Then I remembered the last time I had that thought. Round 5, Salt Lake City, Utah, Leon Edwards. ‘He’s broken! You can knock him out right now. There’s a minute left…and I’m like ‘Yeah, I know I can knock him out. But let’s go ahead and use this footwork.’
Kamaru Usman said

Usman was clearly winning his first fight against Leon Edwards, controlling every round with relentless pressure and dominant grappling. However, in the final minutes of the fifth round, he got caught by a perfectly timed head kick from Edwards. That single strike ended his dominant championship reign and instantly became one of the most shocking UFC moments.

In the rematch, Usman came to take revenge but looked flat and eventually lost the bout via majority decision. He maintained that same form when he faced undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, where once again Usman lost by a narrow majority decision. While everybody doubted the aging veteran, with his latest win, Usman has successfully cleared all the lingering doubts completely.

Usman has been suffering from severe knee pain for the longest time throughout his incredibly demanding and successful fighting career. Following his dominant victory at UFC Atlanta, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ shut down all haters and doubters questioning his damaged knees. Now, the veteran fighter is looking forward to a bigger challenge ahead with much higher stakes on the table.

Kamaru Usman wants to fight the South African champion

During his title reign, Kamaru Usman dominated the welterweight division by frequently clearing out all the top-ranked contenders with ease. He joined hands with Francis Ngannou and Israel Adesanya to form the legendary ‘Three African Kings’ when all were champions simultaneously. Together, they represented African culture on the global stage and were extremely proud of their roots and heritage.

Kamaru Usman wants to fight Dricus Du Plessis
Kamaru Usman wants to fight Dricus Du Plessis (via X)

However, with time, Ngannou left the promotion while both Usman and Adesanya eventually lost their UFC championship belts unexpectedly. Dricus Du Plessis rose to the occasion, became middleweight champion, and boldly declared himself as the one true African champion. In a recent interview with TMZ, Usman talked about potentially taking revenge by moving up a division very soon.

After getting the welterweight belt, they [UFC] have asked and waited years for me to go up and get the middleweight belt. I will relinquish that if Dricus Du Plessis is still the champion all-African card. Africa vs. Africa, first card in Africa. UFC is close to getting that done. South Africa vs. Nigeria. it's a rivalry that’s been built forever. If things start to fall in line, I think we're gonna see a pretty interesting next 18 months.
Kamaru Usman said

UFC has been talking about the African event for a long time, and with DDP as the champion, it seems achievable. As Usman mentioned, his rivalry with Du Plessis can provide a great storyline for the main event. However, for that, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ needs to win the welterweight belt.