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What’s Next For Kamaru Usman?

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 9:30 AM ET

Kamaru Usman defeated Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta, as we look at his next steps.

Usman secured his first win since 2021, as he beat Buckley via a unanimous decision. The loss ended his three-fight losing streak, as Usman has eyes on a title shot. The current welterweight champion is Jack Della Maddalena, who defeated Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, ending Belal’s eleven-fight unbeaten winning streak. A fight with Belal could play out based on their prior history. Henry Cejudo previously alleged that Belal and Usman were involved in an altercation where hands were ‘thrown’ during a podcast that was never released. Belal wants to make that fight, saying there is no other option for Usman that makes sense.

“What I see, what I want, I wanted him to get on the mic and call me out. I think that’s the next one that makes sense. That’s the only fight that makes sense. If you’re talking about the division, we have history. We’ve been going back and forth. It’s a clear No. 1 contender fight. He’s calling for the belt, 185, 170, but I’m No. 1. I’m still the guy at the top,” Belal said

Options

Nevertheless, Usman has eyes on other fighters. In the aftermath of his win against Buckley, Usman dismissed the Belal fight. Belal has no belts to offer, while Usman is targeting the winner of the expected fight between Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena. Islam is expected to move up to welterweight in a bid to become a two-weight world champion, giving Usman a possible title shot next against the winner.

Another alternative is to face a leading contender in the division such as Sean Brady. The latter is ranked second in the rankings below Belal, while Usman sits in fifth. Brady is undefeated in his last three fights, which was the perfect response following his only loss to Belal at UFC 280 in 2022. Brady is also seen as one of the favorites for the title shot since he has a much better record than Usman, leaving Kamaru plenty to ponder moving forward.

“Let’s be honest, I’m the biggest in the division, this is about entertainment. The UFC is an entertainment company. You want make the biggest fights. It’s going to be the winner of [Jack Della Maddalena] and Islam [Makhachev]. “If Islam pulls that one out, former pound-for-pound [best]-current pound-for-pound [best]—who doesn’t pay for that? “I’ll be watching that fight. I’ll take the winner,” Usman stated

This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.

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