Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager calls Kamaru Usman “real black diamond” after silencing Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman made a triumphant return to action after being away for nearly two years. In the main event of UFC Atlanta, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' silenced his critics by dominating the young and hungry Joaquin 'New Mansa' Buckley.

To Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz (who also manages Usman), the criticism that he's old and washed up only motivated Usman to show up and prove everybody wrong.

Abdelaziz tweeted:

"Buckley said a lot of things and he should have. And a lot of people believed him but when the room gets hot a lot of people melt. One thing I know about @USMAN84kg when the heat comes he ices everyone around him. He’s the real black diamond."

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Check out Ali Abdelaziz's comments below:

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At the moment, the UFC rankings haven't been updated yet. After his monumental win over the No.7-ranked Buckley, Kamaru Usman's no.5 ranking might get a slight bump upwards. Perhaps a rematch with the No.4-ranked fellow former champ Leon Edwards is next.

Kamaru Usman's message to entire UFC welterweight division: "I'm still the boogeyman"

During his post-fight octagon interview at UFC Atlanta, Kamaru Usman became emotional. This is on the heels of getting his hand raised for the first time in nearly four years. '

Usman was on a three-fight losing skid, with his last win dating back to 2021 against his former rival Colby Covington.

To make the victory even sweeter, Usman dominated a fighter seven years his junior. In the world of MMA, such age differences could mean trouble for the older fighter, as naysayers were speculating Usman's age and knee issues might become his downfall.

After thanking his team and his family, Usman addressed the criticisms and said:

"I know it's a running joke everybody wants to get on the internet and and talk, 'Oh, his knees, his knees'. Well, shut the f*ck up! I can still do what I do."

Usman directed his attention to the entire 170-pound division and said:

"The rest of the welterweight division, listen, I have been - and always will be - the boogeyman!"

Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below (2:16):

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Duane is an expert MMA writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience working for the likes of Philippine Star, Esquire Philippines, Playboy Philippines, etc. A major in English, he has written over 2000 articles for Sportskeeda section, extensively covering UFC and boxing fights.

Duane is a practicing MMA fighter with a 11-7 record. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt and trains Muay Thai. His connection with MMA dates back to 2005, when he turned into a fan after watching Fedor Emelianenko defeat Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic at Pride FC - Final Conflict 2005.

Emelianenko finds himself right at the top of Duane’s Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters, alongside other big names like Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

Duane’s love for the sport is reflected in his writings, where he believes in speculating but not insinuating. He uses his intensive knowledge and skills in MMA to provide unique insights to the readers, along with sourcing information only from reliable sources.

Outside of work, Duane enjoys martial arts training, visual arts, film criticism, video games, and creative writing.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi