Kamaru Usman was visibly moved to tears after winning his crucial return fight in the octagon.
The former welterweight and pound-for-pound king stepped back into the cage after 20 months, facing Joaquin Buckley in the main event at UFC Atlanta.
Following three consecutive losses to Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev, there were significant doubts about Usman`s continued presence at the sport`s pinnacle.
However, the 38-year-old delivered a performance reminiscent of his peak form, employing a suffocating style over five rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory with scorecards of 49–46, 49–46, and 48–47.
During his post-fight interview, an emotional Usman became tearful as he shared:
"It`s been a while. I needed to get that monkey off my back."
He continued:
"I know I`m still capable of competing at the highest level."
Usman explained his approach to facing a challenging opponent:
"Sometimes when you`re going up against a young, hungry guy like that, very talented, very aggressive, you`ve got to pull out the skills and use your experience."
Adding:
"And that`s what I did tonight."
Usman insisted that his win over the rising Buckley silenced his critics and proved he remains at the top of his game.
He addressed the online chatter directly:
"I know it`s a running joke, everybody wants to get on the internet and talk s***, `Oh, his knees, his knees.`"
His defiant response:
"Well, shut the f*** up, I can still do what I do."
Usman confidently asserted his ability against the division`s best:
"I could do that to anybody [in the welterweight division], any one of them."
He reiterated the significance of the win:
"But as I said, I needed to get that monkey off my back."
Reflecting on his past performances:
"Early on in my career as I was rolling, once I had that monkey off my back and I knew I was rolling, I was able to open up."
And concluded:
"And you guys saw those spectacular knockouts. I still got them in there.”
Following this significant victory, Usman declared his ambition to regain the welterweight title.
He powerfully stated:
“I have been, and always will be, the f**king boogeyman."
Percy Harlow