Rumors of a big return fight for former UFC champion

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is a popular figure. Despite the fact that he has not fought since October 2023, his name is on the tip of the tongue of many leading candidates.

Joaquin Buckley called out Colby Covington after his impressive victory over him on Saturday night. Coach Ian Machado Garry expressed his displeasure at Usman not accepting his call-up.

Buckley and Gary may be disappointed if they are still chasing a fight with No. 3 ranked Usman. The 37-year-old looks set to fight Jacques Della Maddalena on the epic UFC 312 card in Sydney, Australia.

The fight was leaked by welterweight contestant Sean Brady, and the information was reportedly shared by MMA Frenzy. As confirmed, the fight has already appeared on Tapology, so it appears that information has been checked.

Usman enters this fight on the back of a three-fight losing streak. He lost the title to Leon Edwards in August 2022 with a shocking head kick KO. The bout was a rematch of Usman’s defeat of Edwards in December 2015.

At the third meeting, Edwards won by majority vote and remained in the race. Usman then moved up to middleweight for a short period of time, and will suddenly face Khamzat Chimaev in October 2023.

Chimaev won that fight by majority vote. So while the losing streak looks bad, Usman had dominated his only decisive loss in the skid before being knocked out. The other two losses were by majority decision, and all three were against world-class opponents.

Still, he’s 37 years old and will likely be dealing with a significant layoff heading into this fight.

However, JDM will be active in his home country after nearly a year away from the Octagon. The 28-year-old from Perth is on a 17-fight winning streak, including a perfect 8-0 record in the UFC.

Maddalena is coming off a brutal third-round KO win over Gilbert Burns in March, and the No. 4 ranked middleweight is hoping to defeat Usman and secure his title shot with a victory. .

Here’s what’s likely confirmed for UFC 312:

Dorikas du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland Middleweight (185 lbs) Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez Strawweight (115 lbs) Kamaru Usman vs. Jacques de la Maddalena Welterweight (170 lbs) Rei Tsuruya vs. Stewart Nichol Flyweight (125 lbs.) Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) Quilan Sarkild vs. Ansur Jubri Lightweight (155 lbs.) Talison Teixeira vs. Justin Tafa Heavyweight (265 lbs.) Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev Lightweight (155 lbs.)

Buckley may end up fighting Garry in a bout that was originally scheduled to headline Saturday night’s card. Speaking of UFC Tampa, check out the full results for the final event of 2024.

UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley Results

Joaquin Buckley defeats Colby Covington by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 4:42 of round 3. Cub Swanson defeats Billy Quarantillo by KO (right hand) at 1:36 of round 3. Manel Cape defeats Bruno Silva by TKO (blow) at 1:57 of round 3 3:44 of round 3 Dustin Jacoby defeats Vitor Petrino by KO (right hand) 3 Daniel Marcos Defeated Adrian Yanez by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28) Navajo Sterling defeats Tuco Toccos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Michael Johnson defeats Ottman Azaitar by KO (right hook) 2:03 of round 2, Joel Alvarez defeats Drucker. 2 minutes 48 seconds into the first round, Klose KOs with a flying knee. Sean Woodson defeats Fernando Padilla by TKO at 4:58 of the first round Felipe Lima defeats Miles Johns by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-) 27) Miranda Maverick defeats Jamie Lynn Hose by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Davey Grant defeats Ramon Taveras by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) Piera Rodriguez defeats Josefin Knutsson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)