Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman feared lightning would strike twice at UFC Atlanta.
Kamaru Usman earned his first UFC win in four years in the UFC Atlanta main event earlier this month. Usman ended Joaquin Buckley‘s welterweight win streak by unanimous decision to return to the division’s title picture.
Usman used his elite wrestling to stifle Buckley’s ferocious striking and coast to a decisive victory inside the Octagon. He snapped a three-fight losing streak and earned his first win overall since defeating Colby Covington in their UFC 268 rematch.
But according to Usman, disaster nearly struck at UFC Atlanta.
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Leon Edwards head kick knockout continued to haunt Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta
After a dominant first four rounds of the fight by Usman, Buckley rallied in Round 5 with a flurry of big strikes that rocked the former UFC welterweight champion late. But Usman was able to work through Buckley’s comeback attempt and control the final minutes of the fight.
As Usman vs. Buckley came down to the final minutes, Usman thought about pouring on the pressure and working towards a knockout, before his inner voice steered him away.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Usman was asked about his mindset late in the fight as Buckley pressured him in Round 5.
“I’m not even going to lie to you, the last minute [felt long]. 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!” Usman said.
“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’ [LAUGHS].”
After a dominant first four rounds in what would turn out to be his final welterweight title defense at UFC 278, Usman got caught by a Leon Edwards head kick with about a minute left in the fight, knocking him out cold. It was one of the most shocking knockouts in UFC history and a miraculous come-from-behind victory for Edwards.
The head kick kicked off a three-fight losing streak for Usman, including back-to-back title losses to Edwards. Before UFC Atlanta, Usman hadn’t fought since a short-notice middleweight loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294.
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Kamaru Usman dismissed No. 1 contender fight with longtime adversary after UFC Atlanta
After defeating Buckley, Usman is right back in the welterweight title mix and called for the Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev winner. Maddalena is expected to face Makhachev later this year after defeating Belal Muhammad for the title last month at UFC 315.
Usman and Muhammad have traded barbs for months, and nearly got into a full-out brawl on the set of Usman’s Pound 4 Pound podcast. Muhammad called out Usman on social media after UFC Atlanta, but Usman responded with radio silence.
A matchup between Usman and Muhammad could potentially come to fruition after UFC Atlanta, if Usman signs the dotted line. But in either case, Usman proved his resilience in getting back in the win column after a long struggle.