Daniel Cormier sees UFC on ESPN 69 as a must-win for former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) will look to snap a three-fight losing skid when he takes on Joaquin Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in the June 14 headliner at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Although Usman hasn’t gotten his hand raised since November 2021, Cormier thinks a win over the streaking Buckley can completely change the narrative.
“I think it’s a really good matchup, and it will show what Kamaru Usman has left,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “I mean point-blank, right? All great champions have a time frame for greatness, because time doesn’t wait for anyone. It’s going to keep going forward. So it’s fair to say, right, he fought a while ago against Khamzat Chimaev and in losing, he almost elevated himself. Because he fought him so well when Chimaev was thought to be so dominant, and think about what Chimaev has done now to Robert Whitaker since the Kamaru Usman fight.
“So yes, Usman doing what he did should be applauded, but a win over Buckley can propel him forward. Doesn’t matter what happened with Leon Edwards because he’s the biggest name, and if he wins he can then yell, ‘Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena, I want my shot,’ especially if Shavkat (Rakhmonov) is still hurt and those guys will listen. Is it safe to say that we are right in the midst of Kamaru’s last chance – not best chance, this is his last chance to try to not only become a champion, but to even really stay relevant in his division.”
Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad defends his title against Jack Della Maddalena in the UFC 315 headliner on May 10 in Montreal. Usman has recently been trading barbs with Muhammad so, if both fighters emerge victorious, their storyline could lead to a title fight.
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