Kamaru Usman returned to the win column Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Atlanta, Ga., securing a unanimous decision over Joaquin Buckley 49-46, 49-46, 48-47.
“Those knockouts will come,” Usman said after the win. “I just needed to get that monkey off my back.”
The first two rounds of the headline welterweight attraction saw Usman (21-4 MMA) pitch the equivalent of a shutout, effortlessly taking Buckley (21-7 MMA) down and utilizing his ground-and-pound to out-strike the St. Louis native 16-0 in the significant strikes category.
Round 3 started strong for Buckley as he found his striking range before Usman found his third takedown in four tries. The former champion kept Buckley there for the final two minutes, briefly securing the mount position as the seconds ticked down.
Round 4 was primarily on the feet, as Buckley found his best combinations of the fight but couldn’t find a comeback finish. Usman took Buckley down again, securing the back mount position as the round ended.
Round 5 saw both men trade blows, but it was too little, too late for Buckley, who had a six-fight unbeaten streak snapped. It was Usman’s first win since he held the title in Nov. 2021.
Buckley was gracious in defeat, suffering his first loss at welterweight.
“We’re just getting started, baby,” Buckley said. “We’ll be back.”
The co-main event also needed the cards, as former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas earned a highly competitive unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 over Miranda Maverick. Namajunas (15-7 MMA) overcame adversity, nearly getting submitted by arm-triangle in Round 2. Namajunas has won three of her last four. She still seeks a belt in a second division, this time at flyweight. Maverick (17-6 MMA) had a four-fight winning streak snapped, dating to July 2023.
A recurring theme continued: middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan nearly finished TUF alumnus Andre Petroski with a would-be third-round TKO before walking away with a unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. The win marked Shahbazyan’s first stretch of back-to-back wins since 2019, his first decision win since 2018. Shahbazyan (15-5 MMA) had little trouble controlling the Pennsylvania native in Petroski (13-5 MMA) in all aspects, who has lost two of his last three fights.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt fell short against Raoni Barcelos in a lackluster affair by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. Barcelos (20-5 MMA) has won three in a row, as Garbrandt (14-7 MMA), who won the title in December 2016, has won just three of his last 20 appearances. Barcelos nearly secured a late third-round rear-naked choke, but Garbrandt was able to fend it off before landing a few strikes to close the fight.
In middleweight action, Mansur Abdul-Malik earned a technical decision over Cody Brundage 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Abdul-Malik nearly had a third-round TKO 36 seconds in, but an accidental clash of heads changed the direction of the fight, thus needing the judges to intervene. Abdul-Malik (9-0 MMA) moved to 3-0 in the promotion, whereas Brundage (11-7 MMA) dropped below .500 in the UFC and still seeks his first string of back-to-back wins in nearly three years.
The UFC Atlanta main card began with Alonzo Menifield earning a unanimous decision over Oumar Sy in a light heavyweight bout, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. Menifield (17-5-1 MMA) handed Sy (11-1 MMA) his first MMA loss, which snapped a two-fight UFC stint since making his debut last May. Menifield, meanwhile, has won two straight.
The UFC’s schedule goes international with a Fight Night installment a week from Saturday in Azerbaijan, headlined by a light heavyweight non-championship five-rounder between former champion Jamahal Hill (12-3 MMA) and ex-title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA).
–Field Level Media
