Joaquin Buckley: "Gonna maul Buckley", "Can easily beat Belal" - Fans react as Kamaru Usman announces his UFC return against Joaquin Buckley

MMA fans have been reacting to major fight news, following Kamaru Usman's announcement that he will be making his return against Joaquin Buckley on June 14.

The two welterweight stars will meet in the main event of the upcoming UFC on ESPN 69 card, which takes place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The bout marks a return for 'The Nigerian Nightmare', who last stepped in the octagon back in October 2023 when he faced Khamzat Chimaev on short-notice.

The 37-year-old is currently on a three-fight losing skid, having been defeated twice to Leon Edwards before coming up short against Chimaev. Despite his age, however, Usman still believes he can return to the top of the division, but will face a mammoth task against the surging Buckley.

For 'New Mansa', he has seen a remarkable turnaround in his career since returning to 170 pounds in 2023. The 30-year-old has won his last six fights, most recently defeating Colby Covington in dominant fashion back in December.

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Announcing the fight news on the latest episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman said:

"I'm back from sabbatical. You heard it right, your boy is back. I'm back in there on June 14th, live from Atlanta, Georgia...I'm ready to get back in there. It's a great fight."

Check out Kamaru Usman's comments here:

Fans have since been reacting to the fight news, with many excited by the match-up. One fan even claimed it will be an easy win for Usman:

"Usman gonna maul Buckley"

Another fan wrote:

"Usman can easily beat Belal"

One fan added:

"How’s them knees tho big bro? Yeah we know you back but is them knees back?"

Another wrote:

"Finally old man"

Check out more reactions below:

Kamaru Usman calls out Belal Muhammad for trash talk towards Jack Della Maddalena

Kamaru Usman has weighed in on the trash talk that has taken place between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, ahead of their UFC welterweight title bout at UFC 315.

Muhammad had appeared to take issue with an event Della Maddalena was involved with, which was seeking donations from fans to allow the Australian's entire team to travel to UFC 315 for the fight.

The challenger later canceled the event after their back-and-forth, and Usman later offered his take during the latest episode of his podcast. According to Kamaru Usman, 'Remember the Name' is becoming everything he used to lambast Colby Covington for being. He said:

"For as much as you say you don't like [Colby] Covington for what Covington did to get to the top of the division and how he talks to people, you're not far from it right now."

Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below (23:15):

About the author

Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

Know More

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Tejas Rathi