Kamaru Usman was aware of the noise surrounding him about whether he would still be able to compete in the octagon at a high level at the age of 38.
Usman went the distance against Joaquin Buckley in a five-round welterweight bout in the UFC Fight Night main event at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
The former Welterweight Champion earned the unanimous decision, breaking his three-fight losing streak and getting back in the win column. It was his first fight back since battling Khamzat Chimaev in October 2023, which expanded Usman’s losing streak.
Buckley has won nine of his last 12 fights and had his six-fight winning streak snapped on Saturday evening.
Kamaru Usman def. Joaquin Buckley
Kamaru Usman delivered an elbow that caused a cut over Joaquin Buckley’s right eye in the first round of the welterweight fight. Usman continued to take control of the fight through the first three rounds, getting Buckley on the ground.
While Usman held his ground throughout the fight, Buckley had an aggressive approach in the fifth and final round by attempting several uppercut attempts to knock out Usman.
His attempts were unsuccessful and Usman won the fight by unanimous decision. The Nigerian-American became emotional after hearing his name called as the winner.
Usman had not competed in the octagon since losing to Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event of UFC 294 on Oct 21, 2023.
‘I needed to get that monkey off my back,’ Usman said after the fight.
Rose Namajunas def. Miranda Maverick
Rose Namajunas applied the pressure on Miranda Maverick in the third round to earn her third victory in her last four flyweight fights. The unanimous decision win enables Namajunas to press forward on her journey to chase for another championship.
Edmen Shahbazyan def. Andre Petroski
Edmen Shahbazyan pulled out the middleweight victory over Andre Petroski by unanimous decision after the fight went the distance. Shahbazyan displayed a strong level of striking while picking up his second consecutive victory.
Raoni Barcelos def. Cody Garbrandt
Raoni Barcelos had been asking for a fight with Cody Garbrandt since 2020 and lived up to that challenge. Barcelos earned his third straight victory after picking up a unanimous decision victory over Garbrandt. The Bantamweight improves to 20-5.
Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Cody Brundage
The middleweight fight between Mansur Abdul-Malik and Cody Brundage became the second fight of the night to see an unusual ending. Abdul-Malik and Brundage butted heads as they picked up the pace in the opening 36 seconds of the third round.
Abdul-Malik overwhelmed Brundage quickly after the headbutt and the fight was stopped. After the replay, the headbutt was ruled accidental and the fight was left in the hands of the decisions, where Abdul-Malik was named the winner by unanimous decision.
Oumar Sy def. Alonzo Menifield
Light heavyweight Oumar Sy continued to prove that being an underdog on this card isn’t a bad thing. He earned a unanimous decision victory while handing Alonzo Menifield his first professional loss.
Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato result
An unusual ending to the fight after the light heavyweight bout between Paul Craig and Rodolfo Bellato. Craig threw a hard upkick while on his back that caught Bellato on the chin and knocked him out cold briefly. He wakes up shaken and confused about what happened. The kick was ruled as accidental, resulting in a no contest.
Michael Chiesa def. Court McGee
Blood was drawn earlier from the face of Court McGee after he bumped heads with Michael Chiesa in the first round of the Welterweight fight. McGee also delivered an accidental low blow with a kick to Chiesa’s groin area. Chiesa was tabbed as the winner by unanimous decision after the fight went the distance.
Malcolm Wellmaker def. Kris Moutinho
Bantamweight Malcolm Wellmaker proved why he was one of the heaviest favorites on the card, making quick work of Kris Moutinho in the first round. Wellmaker’s victory in his home state helps improve his record to 10-0.
Jose Ochoa def. Cody Durden
Jose Ochoa came out fast in the second round to put away Cody Durden. Ochoa earned his first UFC victory after the flyweight landed an uppercut that rattled Durden and sent him stumbling back before Ochoa used a quick combo to drop his opponent.
Ricky Simon def. Cameron Smotherman
Ricky Simon earned a unanimous decision victory against Cameron Smotherman in the Bantamweight fight.
Smotherman attempted to rally near the end of the fight by landing some big strikes, but it wasn’t enough to put away Simon in the third.
Phil Rowe def. Ange Loosa
While fans weren’t thrilled with the slow start to the fight in the first round, the pace picked up in the second round with both Phil Rowe and Ange Loosa exchanging strikes.
Loosa produced a series of successful strikes that rattled Rowe in the final seconds before time expired in the round.
Rowe rallied in the third round to bloody the face of Loosa, who lost his mouthpiece in the process. Loosa was on pace to win the fight, having won the first two rounds, but the fight was stopped after Loosa was unable to continue in the third.
Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Vanessa Demopoulos
Jamey-Lyn Horth was dominant throughout the Women’s Flyweight fight against Vanessa Demopoulos. With Horth mounded on top in the third round, she delivered strike combinations to Demopoulos’ body and face. The fight went to a decision, but there was never a doubt that Horth won the fight.
How to watch UFC Fight Night: Usman vs. Buckley time, TV
- Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
- Time: 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
- Location: State Farm Arena (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Streaming:
- Main Card: ESPN, ESPN+; 10 p.m. ET
- Prelims: ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET
Watch UFC Fight Night with ESPN+
Predictions for Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley
Sports Illustrated: Usman
Drew Beaupre writes: ‘It may turn out that the 38-year-old Usman just physically can’t compete with top welterweights anymore, but even with Buckley’s current momentum, I’m still going to side with the former champion to snap his three-fight losing skid.’
Action Network: Usman
Sean Zerillo writes: ‘I don’t project an edge on Buckley to win by KO/TKO (projected +166, listed +163), so you are lessening your edge by including both outcomes compared to Usman by decision. Still, that prop does encompass the majority of outcomes for this contest. Lastly, make sure to target Usman in the live betting market anytime after Round 1, particularly if he has not wrestled to that point in the fight.’
MMA Fighting: Buckley
Alexander K. Lee writes: ‘Usman and Buckley will have plenty of physical, gnarly clashes in a fight that is a battle of wills as much as skill. You have to imagine Usman’s focus will be on taking Buckley down, though he’ll have plenty of well-earned confidence in his standup as well. I’d just be concerned for Usman there with Buckley likely beating him to the punch more often than not. I’m leaning Buckley, mainly because Usman’s time off has me concerned and I’m not convinced he can neutralize enough of Buckley’s offense to throw him off his game. Buckley wins a competitive five-rounder.’
Full card, odds for Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley
*All odds via BetMGM
Main Card:
- Kamaru Usman (+120) vs. Joaquin Buckley (-260); Welterweight
- Rose Namajunas (-235) vs. Miranda Maverick (+190); Women’s flyweight
- Edmen Shahbazyan (-160) vs. Andre Petroski (+135); Middleweight
- Cody Garbrandt (+205) vs. Raoni Barcelos (-255); Bantamweight
- Mansur Abdul-Malik (-1100) vs. Cody Brundage (+650); Middleweight
- Alonzo Menifield (+450) vs. Oumar Sy (-700); Light heavyweight
Prelims:
- Paul Craig (+280) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (-370): Light Heavyweight
- Michael Chiesa (-370) vs. Court McGee (+280): Welterweight
- Malcolm Wellmaker (-2500) vs. Kris Moutinho (+900): Bantamweight
- Cody Durden (+175) vs. Jose Ochoa (-210): Flyweight
- Ricky Simon (-450) vs. Cameron Smotherman (+325): Bantamweight
- Phil Rowe (+130) vs. Ange Loosa (-155): Welterweight
- Jamey-Lyn Horth (-700) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos: Women’s Flyweight