"I had to go get that monkey off our back" - Kamaru Usman declares exit from 0–3 club with jab at Henry Cejudo

After returning to winning ways, Kamaru Usman has taken a light-hearted jab at his friend, former UFC double champion, Henry Cejudo. Usman was on a three-fight losing streak, having lost his welterweight crown to Leon Edwards in 2022, failing to regain it in a rematch in 2023, and then losing to Khamzat Chimaev on short notice in 2023.

After a 19-month hiatus, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' finally returned to winning ways by beating Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision at UFC Atlanta this past weekend.

After Usman's comeback win, Cejudo took to X to congratulate him. He posted:

"What a return. Dominant and victorious. Kamaru Usman is BACK #UFCAtlanta"

Check out Henry Cejudo's comments below:

Now, in a recent epsiode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman expressed joy as he is no longer a member of the 0-3 club. He also discussed how, despite his constant hard work, he had to cope with a great degree of disdain and anger after losing back-to-back bouts. He told Cejudo:

"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."

Check out Usman's comments below:

Cejudo is also on a three-fight losing streak after he came out of retirement. He lost to Aljamain Sterling in 2023, Merab Dvalishvili in 2024, and Song Yadong in 2025.

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Henry Cejudo believes Kamaru Usman deserves UFC title shot

After Kamaru Usman's dominant victory at UFC Atlanta, Henry Cejudo took to X and lauded his pal. He wrote:

"Master class from Kamaru. Reversing the age on everybody. He's next for the strap! 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬"

Check out Henry Cejudo's comments below:

Usman now has his crosshairs on pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev, who is expected to make his welterweight debut this year against champion Jack Della Maddalena. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' wants to face Makhachev if the latter dethrones 'JDM.'