Kamaru Usman reminded the welterweight division on Saturday that he was still a player among the division’s elite.
Twenty months since his last fight, and 3 ½ years since his last victory, the former welterweight champion put on a commanding performance, earning a decision win against the streaking Joaquin Buckley.
Usman, 38, was competing in his first welterweight bout since March 2023 after moving up to middleweight two years ago to fight Khamzat Chimaev. The added time and questions about his knees led to Usman entering the fight as an underdog.
The main event at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta saw Usman demonstrate a wrestling clinic for the majority of the fight as he executed takedowns throughout the first four rounds and dominated the lesser experienced Buckley on the mat. With four takedowns, it earned Usman nearly thirteen minutes of control time, but Buckley came back strong in the final frame.
Owner of a six-fight winning streak heading into the bout, Buckley had few answers for Usman until the fifth round, when he stopped multiple takedowns and let his hands go, resulting in at least one round going his way.
Usman spoke during fight week of plans to challenge for both the welterweight and middleweight titles before his career is done, and while that seemed out of his grasp, he made a strong argument to remain relevant in the 170-pound division.
The Boogeyman is BACK! 😤
[ #UFCAtlanta | @Usman84KG ] pic.twitter.com/tpt63T0P4n
— UFC (@ufc) June 15, 2025
MAIN CARD
*Kamaru Usman def. Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
*Rose Namajunas def. Miranda Maverick by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
*Edmen Shahbazyan def. Andre Petroski by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
*Raoni Barcelos def. Cody Garbrandt by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
*Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Cody Brundage by technical decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
*Alonzo Menifield def. Oumar Sy by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
PRELIMINARY CARD
*Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellator ended in a no-contest (illegal up kick) at 4:59 of Round 1
*Michael Chiesa def. Court McGee by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
*Malcolm Wellmaker def. Kris Moutinho by KO at 2:37 of Round 1
*Jose Ochoa def. Cody Durden by KO at 0:11 of Round 2
*Ricky Simon def. Cameron Smotherman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
*Philip Rowe def. Ange Loosa by TKO at 4:02 of Round 3
*Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Vanessa Demopoulos by unanimous decision (30-27 all)
The co-feature saw former Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas continue her campaign at flyweight and score her third win at the higher weight class. Opponent Miranda Maverick fought her closely in the opening round, but the speed and feints of Namajunas gave her the edge.
The second round was going Namajunas’ way until Maverick escaped a rear-naked choke attempt, placing Namajunas into a tight arm triangle and likely stealing the round.
Namajunas was back on track in the third, clipping and dropping Maverick with a left hand and following with hammer fists.
The decision win for Namajunas gives her three wins in her last four fights, with the blemish coming at the hands of Erin Blanchfield last November.
Edmen Shahbazyan, now under the tutelage of Eric Nicksick at Xtreme Couture, demonstrated a refined striking game as he defeated Andre Petroski by unanimous decision in a middleweight bout.
Shahbazyan outlanded Petroski in each round, using an effective jab to pop back the head and attacking the body with several beautiful kicks.
One judge scored it 29-28, but the others had the consensus 30-27 for Shahbazyan, who improves to 15-5 and earns his second win of 2025.
Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt came out on the losing end of a decision to Raoni Barcelos.
Garbrandt looked quick and sharp in the first round by throwing combinations and stunning Barcelos with a right hand.
Barcelos found success with his uppercuts in the second round and kept Garbrandt at a distance, allowing the former champion to get into the trap of loading up and relying on his power.
Barcelos took the final two rounds and ended the fight getting Garbrandt to the ground and controlling his back before Garbrandt escaped in the closing seconds.
Barcelos has won three fights in a row and follows up on his January victory against prospect Payton Talbott, while Garbrandt falls to 14-7 and 2-2 since returning to the bantamweight division.
After a tepid two rounds, middleweights Mansur Abdul-Malik and Cody Brundage threw their game plans out the window in the third round and fired off with everything they had.
The two were connecting with wild shots being traded when an errant clash of heads led to the fight-closing sequence, where Brundage covered up and seemed to be finished by strikes.
However, referee Brent McKeehan relied on the instant replay to view the fight-ending sequence and determined the clash of heads was the culprit and forced a technical decision since the fight had already entered the third round.
The judges rendered their decision, and Abdul-Malik was the unanimous winner.
The main card opened with a ho-hum affair in the light heavyweight division as -700 favorite Oumar Sy dropped a decision to Alonzo Menifield.
After splitting rounds, Menifield was the better fighter in the third frame, using his jab and connecting with left hands while Sy’s strikes were muted.
The upset was Menifield’s second win in a row and his tenth inside the UFC since 2019.
Usman and Buckley were awarded the Fight of the Night honors, while prelim victors Malcolm Wellmaker and Jose Ochoa received the Performance of the Night bonuses worth $50,000 each.
The UFC will stage its first card ever in Azerbaijan next Saturday with an afternoon card broadcast on ABC and featuring a light heavyweight main event between Jamahal Hill (12-3, 1 NC) and Khalil Rountree Jr (13-6, 1 NC).
