Kamaru Usman Rights the Ship Against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta

Kamaru Usman showcased the dominance, determination and downright nastiness that made him one of the greatest Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight kings throughout his five-round performance against Joaquin Buckley on Saturday night at UFC Atlanta.

Usman (21-4, 16-4 UFC) put on a vintage performance, mauling Buckley en route to a unanimous decision win (49-46, 49-46, 48-47). Buckley (21-7, 11-5) had few answers for Usman’s world-class wrestling alongside the cage. Usman dragged his foe to the mat with single-leg takedowns and maintained immense top pressure for minutes at a time. By the end of the first round, Buckley’s eye was busted open with scarlet blood leaking out. Usman was unmarked and unfazed as the former No. 1 pound-for-pound kingpin replicated the game plan for 25 minutes.

Buckley was a game opponent and had Usman visibly worried on his feet. When given the opportunity, “New Mansa” threw heavy explosive combos looking to pull off the comeback knockout. Usman wasn’t going for it and wisely kept Buckley at a distance for the final minute to close out the win. Usman was thankful and gracious in victory. It had been since 2021 since the 38-year-old had his hand raised.

‘Thug Rose’ Outpoints Maverick

Former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas won’t let a setback loss to Erin Blanchfield keep her from showcasing her ability to be a top flyweight. “Thug Rose” earned her way back into the winning column with a gritty unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) win over Miranda Maverick in the co-main event.

Despite the scores, the fight was much closer than portrayed as Namajunas (14-7, 12-6 UFC) was dropped to her knees by a left hook in the first round. Maverick reversed positions, threatened submissions, and even marked up Namajunas’ face, but was forced to fight through a knee injury that hampered her severely in the third round. Namajunas walked down Maverick (15-6, 8-4 UFC) and punished her with short elbows and punches on the ground. It was a tough fight that could’ve gone either way, but Namajunas’ dominance in the final stanza was enough to lift the former champ to victory.

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Shahbazyan Takes Decision

Edmen Shahbazyan (15-5, 8-5 UFC) picked up the biggest win of his career, snapping Andre Petroski’s three-fight win streak by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

The Los Angeles-born middleweight coasted to a win by staying disciplined on the outside and piecing Petroski (13-4, 8-3) apart with an educated jab. The action was few and far between but Shahbazyan controlled the Octagon and even staggered Petroski with several shots.

Barcelos Takes Two Rounds

Raoni Barcelos (20-5, 9-4 UFC) derailed Payton Talbott’s hype train in his last time out and now the Brazilian bantamweight can boast a win over a former champion after defeating Cody Garbrandt by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

True to form, Garbrandt turned up ready to brawl and throw haymakers but had trouble dealing with Barcelos’ jab and consistent pressure. Garbrandt hoped to do some wrestling of his own but Barcelo’s made him look like a child everytime the former champ attempted to shoot. With the loss Garbrandt (14-7, 9-7 UFC) drops his second loss in a row.

Abdul-Malik Wins Technical Decision

If Cody Brundage is involved, you can expect things to get a little strange.

With the fight tied at a round apiece, Mansur Abdul-Malik stormed out and rushed the Brighton, Michigan with middleweight hooks and uppercuts. The two slugged it out until Brundage was dropped by a knee to the sternum and a head clash. At first the fight was stopped in favor of an Abdul-Malik TKO, but Brundage argued that he was floored by the headbutt, not the knee. After further review, Brundage’s claims were supported, so instead of losing by TKO, he lost by a unanimous technical decision.

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Menifield Hands Sy First L

Alonzo Menifield picked up a second consecutive win after decisioning Oumar Sy (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a sluggish, dreadful bout.

Menifield (17-5-1, 10-5-1 UFC) handed Sy (11-1, 2-1 UFC) his first loss as a pro but didn’t raise his stock in the process. The bout provided few thrills, but Menifield’s pace late was enough to tip the balance in a fight neither man was willing to finish on their own accord.

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