The return of Kamaru Usman to the Octagon is more than just another fight—it’s the comeback of one of the most dominant welterweights in UFC history. After a run that saw him defend his title five times, establishing himself as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound greats, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is all set to find himself in the win column at UFC 312 after three straight losses.

But the task won’t be easy as he’ll be facing the dangerous Australian KO artist Jack Della Maddalena, who last knocked out Usman’s teammate Gilbert Burns at UFC 299. Usman was rumored to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 since champion Belal Muhammad pulled out due to a nasty bone infection. However, the matchup was too short-notice for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, especially since Rakhmonov is a dangerous prospect. Now, with the matchup against the Australian being scheduled for February, Usman has ample time to prep for the #4-ranked welterweight.

Kamaru Usman’s return to action has finally been announced

Usman last stepped into the Octagon as a middleweight against the rising star Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in his last fight and took the fight on short notice. Despite losing via unanimous decision, he gained the respect of fans for his resilience against the Chechen’s initial onslaught, and found his rhythm in the later rounds, even standing toe-to-toe, striking with ‘Borz’ in the third. Now, the welterweight champion has an opportunity to make a statement by taking on the ever-dangerous, surging Jack Della Maddalena in the latter’s home turf, no less.

The news of Kamaru Usman vs. Jack Della Maddalena was first broken by MMA journalist Rueben Carter on his X (formerly Twitter) account. The post on X read, “Kamaru Usman vs Jack Della Maddalena targeted for #UFC312 in Sydney Australia”. The fight could very well see the winner in line for the title, in one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC.

The stage has been set, and Usman will now prepare for the biggest challenge of his post-title reign career. While Usman gained immense respect for stepping into the cage at the last minute against Khamzat Chimaev, he was unwilling to step in at the last minute to face the undefeated Kazakh Shavkat Rakhmonov. It wasn’t because Usman was scared to face ‘Nomad’, it was just that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was unwilling to take short notice fights against a dangerous opponent, especially since he’s in the precarious position of being on a three-fight losing streak.

Kamaru Usman believes Shavkat Rakhmonov is beatable but needs time to prepare

Currently, with an 18-0 undefeated record, and all finishes, Shavkat Rakhmonov is the current boogeyman of the welterweight division. Finishing top names like Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, and Stephen Thompson is no small feat, and Kamaru Usman is highly aware of that. The Nigerian-American athlete tipped his hat to the Kazakh phenom in a conversation with Henry Cejudo but also thinks that the fight with the undefeated prospect from Central Asia is very winnable.

While speaking on his ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast Usman said, “I’m getting ready if I get that call. But, to be honest, it’s a fight that I’ve looked at and I know it’s definitely a very winnable fight. And I know that I can, of all people, go out there and expose what hasn’t been exposed in a young, hungry, streaky guy in Shavkat Rakhmonov.”

However, he further shared the reason for him not taking the fight and said, “He’s very talented, [he] is very very good. But I do see the holes and I think that I can exploit that when that time is right. But December 7th might be a little too early for that time. So yeah, that’s where I’m at with it.”

Do you agree with Kamaru Usman’s statements about the Shavkat Rakhmonov matchup? Do you think Usman will be able to find a win against him if they ever fought? What about his UFC 312 bout against Jack Della Maddalena? Who will emerge victorious in the February PPV? Let us know in the comments below.