In a revealing post-match interview with Brett Okamoto, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman shared a powerful moment of déjà vu that occurred during his recent victory over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta.
The Nigerian Nightmare, who snapped his three-match losing streak with a unanimous decision win, disclosed that he experienced a critical mental flashback in the fifth round that may have saved him from history repeating itself.
“There was a moment in my head where I was like, he’s throwing so hard, you can catch him and knock him out right now. What a way that, what a statement that would be,”
Usman revealed.
But just as quickly as the thought emerged, Usman’s mind transported him back to his devastating 2022 loss to Leon Edwards in Salt Lake City, Utah. In that championship bout, Usman was dominating Edwards until a last-minute head kick knocked him unconscious, costing him his welterweight title.
“Then I remember the last time I had that thought, round five, Salt Lake City, Utah, Leon Edwards, he’s broken. You can knock him out right now. There’s a minute left,”
Usman recalled.
This time, however, Usman chose caution over aggression.
“I’m like, yeah, I know I can knock him out, but let’s go ahead and use this forward,”
he said, explaining his decision to maintain control rather than risk everything for a highlight-reel finish.
The victory was particularly meaningful for Usman, who had been away from competition for 19 months. After losing his title to Edwards in 2022, failing to recapture it in their 2023 rematch, and then falling short against Khamzat Chimaev, Usman found himself in unfamiliar territory—a three-match losing streak.
On his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman jokingly referenced their shared struggles:
“Let’s just be honest, Henry. There was a lot riding on here. You liked to point out all the time we were both 0-3, so I had to go get that monkey off our back.”
Cejudo, a former two-division UFC champion currently on his own three-match skid, has been supportive of his friend, even suggesting Usman deserves another title opportunity after his impressive performance against Buckley.
With this victory, Usman has positioned himself back in the welterweight elite. He’s reportedly set his sights on potential champion Islam Makhachev, who may soon challenge current welterweight titleholder Jack Della Maddalena.
For now, Usman can take solace in not just winning again, but in learning from past mistakes—proving that sometimes the most important victories happen in split-second decisions inside a man’s own mind.
