Former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman is set to make his highly anticipated return to the octagon.
On Friday, the UFC officially announced that Usman will face the surging welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Atlanta. The event is scheduled to take place on June 14th at the State Farm Arena.
Usman (20-4) is a former champion who successfully defended his welterweight title five times between 2019 and 2021. However, “The Nigerian Nightmare” is currently on a three-fight losing streak. His most recent bout was a short-notice appearance at middleweight against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294.
Buckley (21-6) has been on an impressive run since returning to the welterweight division in 2023, racking up six consecutive victories, with four of those wins coming by stoppage. He recently delivered a notable performance, defeating Vicente Luque in a main event earlier this year.
The co-main event for the Atlanta card will feature a women`s flyweight clash between former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (13-7) and the #12 ranked contender Miranda Maverick (15-5).
This marks the UFC`s fifth visit to Atlanta and its first event branded as a “Fight Night” in the city. All four previous UFC events held in Atlanta were pay-per-view cards.
Current UFC Atlanta Lineup Includes:
- Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley (Main Event)
- Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick (Co-Main Event)
- 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
