Kamaru Usman is set to make his highly anticipated return to the octagon.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship officially announced on Friday that the former welterweight champion will face the in-form contender Joaquin Buckley in the headline bout of UFC Atlanta. The event is scheduled to take place on June 14th at State Farm Arena.
Usman (20-4), a former welterweight titleholder who reigned from 2019 to 2021 with five successful defenses, is currently experiencing a three-fight skid. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has not competed since suffering a short-notice loss to Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight during UFC 294.
Buckley (21-6), on the other hand, has been dominant since moving back to the welterweight division in 2023. He has secured six consecutive victories in the weight class, with four of those wins coming by stoppage. His most recent triumph was a finish over former interim champion Colby Covington in the main event of UFC Tampa in December.
Serving as the co-main event will be a women`s flyweight clash between former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (13-7) and the No. 12 ranked contender Miranda Maverick (15-5). This bout had been previously confirmed.
This marks the UFC`s fifth visit to Atlanta, but it will be the city`s first time hosting a Fight Night event. All four previous UFC events held in Atlanta were pay-per-view shows.
Here is a look at the announced fights for the UFC Atlanta card:
UFC Atlanta Announced Bouts
- Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley
- Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski
- Cody Brundage vs. Mansur Abdul-Malik
- Cody Durden vs. Jose Ochoa
- Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Tereza Bleda
Wesley Dunham