“Kamaru’s got some f—— up knees. It’s amazing that guy fights as well as he has, the kind of pain that he has. He told me that he had to walk on f—— grass because he couldn’t walk on concrete because it hurt so bad.” – Joe Rogan had previously made the comment on Kamaru Usman’s knees. However, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ rejected all the talks and claimed that there were no issues with his knees. 

Well, the talk about Usman’s bad knees began when an article incorrectly stated that the former welterweight champion underwent a knee surgery. But in reality, it was a simple double hernia surgery, where the doctors put a small mesh to push the bulging guts back into the peritoneal space. Nevertheless, prior to his rematch against Leon Edwards at UFC 286, Usman claimed that he had suffered from knee pain for about a decade. He was a wrestler during his early days, and he got multiple meniscus surgeries because of wrestling. And none of it came from the MMA cage, according to Usman. 

Now, things are a bit different. Being 37 years old and having found a comfortable space as a podcast host and MMA analyst, Usman has stayed away from the Octagon for about 2 years. But now, he’s set to return against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta in June. And he has already started training to take ‘New Mansa’ down. In a video shared by the UFC on Instagram, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ can be seen training, as he said, “Oh ohhhhh! Ya boy in the building! Told you I wasn’t done. It’s good to get back in here, feel the guys again. Obviously, go with my dog, Michael Johnson. I’m feeling good. Starting to get back in that groove. You see me out here. You see me out here. Let’s get this work now.” 

However, the fighting community was quick to notice that the former welterweight champion was wearing knee braces. And even though Usman tried to raise the hype around his upcoming bout, fight fans were pretty worried about his buckling knees. Let’s take a look at the comments section and see what the fans had to say. 

Kamaru Usman leaves fight fans worried about his knees

As soon as the training video hit the social media platform, the fighting realm majorly showed concern. One of the fans commented, “buckley gonna be targeting them knees😭🥀.” Another fan claimed, “Usman’s knees are so tender they’re basically falling off the bone 😭.” One more fan commented, “ik his knees screaming rn.” There are reports that Usman’s knees seemingly have no cartilage left because of chondromalacia. And the culprit? It’s none other than his intense training during his early wrestling days. 

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ had a micro-fracture surgery back in 2015. And his pain has gone on an increasing curve ever since. He even reportedly got platelet-rich plasma administered to treat his knees. But alas! Such things don’t really regrow after a person crosses the age of 30. Nevertheless, one of the fans didn’t lose hope. He wrote, “Man I hope his knees grow back.” Another fan claimed that Usman should retire because of his knees. The comment read, “Usman gotta retire man I know them knees hurting.”

A few others had concerns about Usman being a little rusty because of his 2-year-long hiatus. One of the fans questioned, “When was the last time Usman fought 💀💀.” Another fan pointed out, “What about that ring rust?” But the fans’ speculations had them split into different factions. One faction believed in the former champion’s victory. However, the others claimed, “you’re getting knocked out by buckley.”

What are your thoughts on Usman’s upcoming bout against ‘New Mansa’? Do you think ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ should actually consider retirement because of his knees? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.