On Saturday, June 14, 2025, former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman stepped into the octagon to make his long awaited return! After a series of losses against top talent and a 20-month layoff, many fans and critics questioned if he still has it. It didn’t take long to answer that question!

Usman was a 2-1 underdog against an explosive serging contender in Joaquin Buckley; however, you would have never known that based on how the fight played out. Buckley tried to make it a slugfest, while Usman used his distant and grappling ability to control the fight.

Within 90 seconds of the first round, Usman showed his experience and skill by taking Buckley to the mat relatively easily. A formula that would be the blueprint for the rest of the fight, as Buckley had no answers for Usman on the ground.

By round 5, Buckley had figured out how to defend Usman’s takedown, but by then, it was too late. Usman won an easy unanimous decision. This victory is his first since 2022, but it has already catapulted him into the title picture!

Usman described his performance after the fight, stating, “I know it’s been a while, and after the last one [against Khamzat Chimaev], going up against a young, strong, hungry guy, one of the most dangerous and terrifying guys — I was dealing with some things going into that one, but I took the fight with short notice.”

Usman would continue saying, “And because of that fight, it’s almost like they forgot I could fucking wrestle, and they got dismissive and borderline disrespectful. So I just had to pull out the skill and just let them know, ‘Hey, respect every aspect of my game.'”

Usman made his intentions known, saying he wants to claim another title before his time is up. One of the likely candidates on his radar is current UFC Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena.

The new champion, Della Maddalena, has a tough first defense of his title as he expected to face former lightweight king Islam Makhachev sometime in the second half of this year. While the fight has not been made official, Usman expects it to happen and wants to challenge the winner.

Usman would finish by saying, “If Islam pulls that one out, former pound-for-pound versus current pound-for-pound — who doesn’t pay for that? I was able to come in there and really utilize one skill,” Usman continued, “but hey, I still possess what it takes to be the best in this division. It’s only up from here.”