Kamaru Usman has been suffering from knee injuries for longer than most fans realized.
The “Nigerian Nightmare” dominated the UFC Welterweight division for years after Kamaru Usman defeated Tyron Woodley to take home the belt.
What followed was five impressive title defenses against names like Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns before Usman’s reign was ended by a Leon Edwards knockout.
This was their second fight, with the third coming after years of Usman struggling with knee injuries despite his impressive record in the octagon.
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Kamaru Usman had a decade of knee issues before Leon Edwards trilogy defeat
Years before his UFC comeback against Buckley, Usman admitted the immense pain he had suffered in his knees.
Before his third and final fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 286, Usman revealed the extent of the damage he had done over the years of wrestling and fighting.
Talking to the Mirror, Usman said: “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.”
Usman suffered defeat to Edwards by a majority decision in their trilogy fight, before suffering another loss later that year to Khamzat Chimaev.
Joaquin Buckley claimed Kamaru Usman has ‘no knees’ ahead of their UFC Atlanta clash
Two years on from that comment, Joaquin Buckley is more than ready to use Usman’s knee issues to his advantage at UFC Atlanta.
He spoke at the press conference before the fight about Usman and unveiled his strategy to take down the former UFC Welterweight champion.
Buckley said: “With him not having no knees? Just good footwork, good footwork, you know, moving around Kamaru Usman.
“At the end of the day, there are a lot of fighters in my division who don’t know how to move. They kind of just stand right in front of each other.
“That’s why I believe my style, me being dynamic, is very unique, right? There’s nobody who fights like me.
“I see the guys Kamaru is training with, and none of them move like me whatsoever. So he’s not going to be prepared for what he sees when he steps into the Octagon.”
Buckley will face Usman at UFC Atlanta in the main event of the show on June 14.