Kamaru Usman is on the worst run of his career... but he still believes he's the best!

Kamaru Usman will make his long-awaited return to the UFC on Saturday, June 14 when he faces Joaquin Buckley in Atlanta. While Usman is not on his best run, he is convinced that he can win and that he is the best in his category. This confidence excites fans to see a great fight and the former welterweight champion sees it as his return to the top.

Kamaru Usman is going through a very bad streak, having lost his last three fights, one of which was against Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight. The Nigerian knows that he has not been good and that the odds are not with him, however, in an interview with TMZ Sports, he was quite confident and eager to reverse this bad moment.

"I feel good. I'm calm, drinking tea. Very serene. I feel like I'm better than all those guys that are ahead of me," commented a confident Kamaru Usman in the preview of a fight that can give him a chance for the title.

Usman also referred to his opponent, Joaquin Buckley, and despite being so confident, he respected him and assured that it will not be easy. "Joaquin is very, very aggressive. Younger, hungrier, tough guy. Very explosive. Aggressive. And he's pretty well balanced."

Joaquin Buckley's great present

Joaquin Buckley, 31, unlike Usman, is currently in a very good moment. His winning streak is six in a row over opponents such as Vicente Luque, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson and Colby Covington. The American has stood out a lot in recent times and is a clear threat to Usman.

Among Buckley's achievements, he had the Performance of the Night in the UFC against Impa Kasanganay and also against Jordan Wright. In addition, he won the knockout of the year in 2020 also against Kasangay.

Kamaru Usman and a complicated path

In addition to the bad streak of losing three fights in a row, Usman has had a few years full of irregularity. In August 2022, he had to defend his belt against Leon Edwards and lost it. In 2023, he had the rematch and also lost. Another memorable fight was the one he accepted against Khamzat Chimaev, which he took on only 10 days' notice and it cost him dearly because it was also a defeat.

Usman's past has been difficult and his present is not good either, but the fighter gives an example of resilience and says he is motivated to go for victory. "My job is to get in there and let him know something like, 'You're doing a good job, but you're not at that level yet," he said of his opponent.