UFC Atlanta went down last night (Sat., June 14, 2025) inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, which saw Kamaru Usman dominate Joaquin Buckley for 25 minutes to earn a clear-cut unanimous decision win. In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas defeat Miranda Maverick via unanimous decision after 15 minutes of back-and-forth action.
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Biggest Winner: Kamaru Usman
“The Nigerian Nightmare” came into his fight against Buckley on a three-fight losing streak, he left a man with newfound confidence. Indeed, Usman dominated “New Mansa” for 25 minutes to get the nod on all of the judges scorecards, and he did it by sticking to what brought him to the big dance: his wrestling. Usman took Buckley down with ease when he shot, and once there he didn’t just lay-and-pray, he punished his fellow Welterweight. The win is Usman’s first since Nov. 2021. This type of performance and win is exactly what he needed to get him going, and to reminded the division that he still has plenty left in the tank.
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Runner Up: Malcolm Wellmaker
There was a reason Wellmaker was a -2500 favorite coming into his fight against Kris Moutinho, as “The Machine” put on another spectacular performance in “Hotlanta.” Indeed, the 31 year-old delivered a dazzling first-round knockout — his fourth in a row — putting Moutinho to sleep halfway through the opening frame with a nasty right hand. He improves his record to 10-0, 2-0 UFC, which includes back-to-back knockout wins in the opening round. He is without a doubt one of the most hyped and exciting prospects UFC has on its roster, and he is quickly living up to the hype.
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Biggest Loser: Joaquin Buckley
In what was his biggest fight and opportunity to date inside the Octagon, Buckley fell flat in his performance against the Usman. “New Mansa” didn’t have much to offer the former UFC 170-pound champion, and he especially didn’t have an answer for “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” world-class wrestling. He got beat up from pillar to post, as well, and the judges had no problem scoring this fight. He did have one or two little spurts of offense, but it didn’t do much to stifle Usman and make him stray from his dominant and winning formula. Buckley’s six-fight win streak goes up in smoke, as does his hopes of cracking the Top 5 and inching closer to a title shot. Back to the drawing board he goes.
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