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.
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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.
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.
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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