Kamaru Usman gets 100% real on whether "ring rust" will affect his performance against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta

Kamaru Usman hasn't set foot inside the octagon since late 2023. However, despite his long stretch of inactivity, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' does not believe that cage-rust will be a factor at UFC Atlanta, where he takes on the streaking Joaquin Buckley in the main event at welterweight.

In a recent edition of his Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry podcast, the former UFC welterweight champion assured his co-host, former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo that he will be as well-prepared as possible. More importantly, cage-rust won't be a concern of his.

"Yeah, absolutely [every stone has been turned]. That's a thing that we could possibly believe. The time that you didn't spend inside that octagon if you were sitting the whole time. Unfortunately for everybody, I wasn't sitting the whole time. I was still doing stuff, getting things in that I need to get in, in order to progress and stay at the level that I've been at, so I'm just excited."

Check out Kamaru Usman addressing cage-rust concerns:

There is reason enough for the MMA world to wonder whether Usman will be the same man they remember seeing in the octagon years ago. At one poinit, he was on a dominant run that seemed destined to end with him supplanting Georges St-Pierre as the greatest welterweight of all time.

That, however, did not come to pass. He still trails the Canadian legend in title defenses and is now in his twilight years. It's only reasonable that many wondered if the combination of age and so much time away from the octagon, as well as wear-and-tear on the body, would negatively impact his performance.

Usman believes it won't, and is even aiming to claim both welterweight gold and the middleweight title by turning back the clock.

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Kamaru Usman is on a three-fight losing streak

Kamaru Usman's octagon woes began when he lost his welterweight title to Leon Edwards at UFC 278. It was among the greatest upsets in MMA history. Besides round one, which saw Usman get taken down for the first time in his career, he dominated every subsequent round by outwrestling and overwhelming Edwards.

By round five, Edwards was a broken man, gasping for air. However, he uncorked a legendary head kick that knocked Usman out with just under a minute remaining. They had a rematch at UFC 286, which a much-improved Edwards won via majority decision against a more timid Usman.

Thereafter, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' stepped in on short-notice against the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. It was a competitive bout after Chimaev dominated round one, ending in a majority decision win for the Chechen.