It’s been over a year since former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman fought inside the Octagon. Once a dominant champion, now his confidence has been shaken by back-to-back losses, one of which was a brutal head-kick KO by Leon Edwards that cost him his title, in a fight he was winning no less. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, who once accepted fights on short notice—sometimes with as little as five, six, or 10 days to prepare—has now taken over a year to plan his return. Despite the countless rumors over the last year-and-a-half surrounding his comeback, none have come to fruition.

Leaked information from welterweight Sean Brady, later confirmed by MMA Frenzy, revealed that the 37-year-old Kamaru Usman was scheduled to face Jack Della Maddalena at the UFC 312 Sydney event in February. However, a recent update points out massive trouble for Dana White.

Dana White and his UFC 312 event has already taken a massive hit as revealed

Just a few months back, the rising welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena took to his Instagram story to share a report stating that a fight between him and former 170 lbs champion Kamaru Usman had been “verbally agreed” for UFC 312. The post read: “BREAKING NEWS: Kamaru Usman vs Jack Della Maddalena has been verbally agreed for #UFC312 in Sydney, Australia.” Maddalena simply reshared the report without adding any caption or additional comment. The #4 ranked welterweight had hoped to fight previously in a title eliminator at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on August 5th.

However, he was forced to withdraw from the event due to complications from an injury he sustained in his bout against Burns at UFC 299. The news caught the attention of the fans as it marked the return of former Nigerian-American champion Kamaru Usman. But it seems that the fight will not take place at UFC 312 next. Although there was no official announcement of the fight by the UFC, the event has already faced a massive setback. Home Of Fight took to their Instagram account to share the news with the fans.

The caption read, “Kamaru Usman vs. Jack Della Maddalena is apparently not happening for UFC 312 and there might be a chance JDM will not be on the Australian card at all.” Hopefully, for the fans, they can still witness the former champion in action as he has been on a break for a longtime now. Kamaru Usman, who once ruled the welterweight division with a 15-fight win streak, earned the nickname ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ for his dominance.

He has now found himself a new potential opponent in Joaquin Buckley after his dominating performance at UFC Tampa. The 30-year-old shared a message for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ and said, “I think it’s Kamaru Usman, baby. Let’s do it.” Usman who has never shied away from any challenges in his career responded to the call out in his own way.

Kamaru Usman warns Joaquin Buckley after his latest call-out at Tampa

At UFC Tampa, the final event of the year, UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley stole the show as the standout fighter of the night. In a dominant performance, ‘New Mansa’ dispatched Colby Covington in just three rounds, opening a deep cut above his right eye that led to the fight being stopped by the ringside doctor. With an undefeated 4-0 record this year, the 30-year-old Buckley is showing no signs of slowing down as he continues to dominate the division. While he did call out Usman after the fight, it seems the former champion isn’t quite impressed by it.

The Nigerian-American former champ dismissed Joaquin Buckley’s callout, effectively shutting down the Missouri native’s hopes of facing him. In a conversation with Henry Cejudo on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast, he said, “When I’m healthy, I’ll whoop everyone of y’all. I don’t care who it is, but one thing I won’t do, because I’ve done it for so long, is compete when I’m not ready. I remember watching the Buckley fight and thinking, ‘I like that matchup.’ When I’m healthy, I will dominate anyone, no matter who it is.” 

With Usman not having an opponent for UFC 312, it will be interesting to see when the former champion will return to action next. He will also need to get back into the mix soon as he’s currently in the age considered the twilight of a mixed martial artist’s competitive career. Moreover, the big question is who will he be facing next in his career. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.