Kamaru Usman responds to Joaquin Buckley’s UFC 307 callout and KO prediction: “Take a number!”

Former UFC welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman has answered Joaquin Buckley’s calls for a face-to-face in the Octagon in their next appearances.

Buckley rallied to knock out former UFC title challenger Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 on Saturday in Salt Lake City. After losing on the judges’ scorecards, Buckley caught Thompson with a massive right hand that sent the karate specialist collapsing to the canvas.

After winning his fifth straight fight at welterweight, Buckley put Usman firmly in his crosshairs. He called out Usman during his post-fight interview with Rogan and took things a step further at the post-fight press conference.

Buckley predicted he’d knock out Usman and serve the former titleholder his fourth consecutive loss. It didn’t take long for Usman to respond.

Kamaru Usman reacts to Joaquin Buckley’s bold callout at UFC 307

In a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman responded to Buckley’s post-fight callout.

“Take a number,” Usman replied. “Take a number and get in line. I believe he’s probably, what, the 10th or 11th guy? I don’t know how many guys have called me out. It is what it is, it’s obviously like Daniel Cormier said, it’s a more reasonable callout for him. Because he is on a streak, and he’s been doing good work inside there. I believe he was losing that fight, and it was a way to be relentless and find a shot to get that finish…

“Hats off to him, he did a great job. If that’s the fight, then that’s the fight. If it’s not, it’s not. Obviously, right now I’m working on myself and trying to get myself back, because I fought injured for so long to where I achieved all the things that I achieved. But at some point, it does catch up to you, and you have to sit down and correct those mistakes. But like I said, I ain’t going nowhere, I’m still here! And eventually I’m going to get in there and show the people that I am, once again, the king.”

Usman hasn’t competed since a middleweight loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. Since then, Buckley has earned welterweight wins over Vicente Luque, Nursulton Ruziboev, and Thompson.