Welterweight Rival Says Kamaru Usman Should Mix in Wrestling Against ‘New Blood’ Joaquin Buckley

Kamaru Usman’s 170-pounder rival lays out wrestling blueprint for how to beat the “dangerous” Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta.

Welterweight Rival Says Kamaru Usman Should Mix in Wrestling Against ‘New Blood’ Joaquin Buckley

Kamaru Usman backed to beat Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta if he mixes it up (Source: X)

It’s UFC 170-pound new blood vs. old blood at UFC Atlanta this weekend going down at State Farm Arena. Former divisional kingpin and pound-for-pound topper Kamaru Usman returns to combat sports after a long while; he runs the risk of drowning on the cusp of a winless 4-year streak. “Nigerian Nightmare” Usman meets divisional nightmare Joaquin Buckley, who has had quite the success in the weight class.

Joaquin Buckley is a 2024 season standout story whose tier of opponents upgraded every time. While there were more KOs and highlights, his sturdy rise up the ladder made him confident enough to even call on Kamaru Usman.

“New Mansa” has even gone through a plethora of veteran names like Colby Covington, Stephen Thompson, and Vicente Luque – all in the way of TKO wins. But former title challenger and #10-ranked 170-pounder, Glibert Burns, has seen Buckely beat. Hence, he has racked up some ideas for Usman:

I want Kamaru to win, …At the gym, we had one of the guys that smashed Buckley back in the day. Logan Storley just outwrestled him, ground and pounded him: It shows Kamaru the way…I think Kamaru has to mix it up. I think he was the best at the time when he was mixing it up. Not just striking. I kinda called that he was gonna lose to Leon [Edwards]. At that time, he wasn’t wrestling anymore…

Gilbert Burns on ‘Show Me The Money’ Podcast (@showmethemoneypod) with Matty Betss | UFC Atlanta Breakdown

With Buckley in play, the term ‘Kil Cliff Killer’ has been touted around a lot; more so as he has wanted to fight Kill Cliff FC standout and divisional boogeyman Shavkat Rakhmonov for a while now. The overturn comes from the fact that Burns’ teammate at Kill Cliff FC, Logan Storley, handed Joaquin Buckley a defeat to date. He has reeled off with 6-0 stats at welterweight since then, but Burns thinks the principles still apply.

Hence, Burns advised former foe Kamaru Usman to mix it up between his standup and wrestling. UFC 278 saw the end of Usman’s 15-fight winning streak in the UFC, which is now tied with Islam Makhachev as the second longest. If he can actually mix it up and get it done despite being the underdog, Usman can again go to all his glory days. One major thing stopping him on his way is part of his physicality.

Welterweight Kamaru Usman has had knee issues for a decade before Leon Edwards trilogy defeat

The fight community doesn’t say “Achilles’ Heels” anymore; it says Kamaru Usman’s glass knees. Kamaru Usman, dubbed the “Nigerian Nightmare,” dominated the UFC welterweight division after defeating Tyron Woodley and snagging the undisputed gold home. But his weak knees persist, and it’s an issue that has been there more than fans ever realized.

Kamaru Usman has had a long history of bad knees
Kamaru Usman has had a long history of bad knees (Source: X)

While he does grapple with Elevation Fight Team’s Justin Gaethje now and then, the explosiveness does not transition into a hard scramble when inside the octagon. In the annals leading up to his UFC Atlanta return against Joaquin Buckley, Usman confessed to the excruciating pain in his knee.

Prior to his third and final encounter with Leon Edwards at UFC 286, Usman divulged the extent of the damage he had inflicted over the years through wrestling and fighting. The burden of which fell on his knees.

My knee pain has been bad for 10 years, I’ve had multiple meniscus surgeries, and this is just from wrestling. …I was so hard on my body wrestling because I just wanted to be the champion, I wanted to get there. I was willing to sacrifice whatever it took to get there, but my knee pain has been bad since I crossed over to MMA. It hasn’t stopped me.

Kamaru Usman to Mirror.co.uk

It’s an issue that has prevailed long after. Usman gave a jumpscare during UFC 294 PPV pre-fight open workouts when he seemingly tweaked his knees. During the course of his fight with Khamzat Chimaev, his fenceside wrestling transitions and TD defense were more than stingy on that very leg.

Before UFC Atlanta, even Buckley has taken to dissing that he has ‘footwork’ while the old-timer Usman doesn’t even have knees! He has gone more fluid since his last few losses. In a total of 15 UFC bouts, Buckley has conceded 9 takedowns and has a 73% takedown defense rate.

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