Kamaru Usman wins big fight in Atlanta after 4yrs of UFC drought

Kamaru Usman marked a triumphant return to the win column on Sunday, June 15, 2025, defeating American opponent Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision in the headline bout of UFC Fight Night, held at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dubbed ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, Usman impressed the judges with a commanding performance, earning scorecards of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 after five rounds in the welterweight showdown, according to SuperSport.

The victory ends a nearly four-year winless stretch for Usman, who last had his hand raised in 2021. His recent run included the loss of his UFC welterweight title to Leon Edwards in August 2022.

“It feels good. It’s been a while,” Usman said post-fight. “I needed to get that monkey off my back. I know I’m still able to do this at the highest level. You have to pull off the skills and use the experience. I feel good.”

Utilizing his wrestling pedigree to neutralize Buckley’s striking threat, Usman executed takedowns in each of the first four rounds and maintained control on the canvas, limiting his opponent’s offense and steadily building a lead on the scorecards.

While the bout never looked close to ending inside the distance, Usman’s strategic groundwork proved decisive.

In the night’s co-main event, former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas earned a unanimous decision victory over Miranda Maverick in a flyweight contest, with judges scoring the bout 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.

Elsewhere on the main card, middleweights Edmen Shahbazyan and Mansur Abdul-Malik emerged victorious in their respective contests—Shahbazyan overcoming Andre Petroski, and Abdul-Malik securing a technical decision over Cody Brundage.

In the bantamweight division, Raoni Barcelos defeated former champion Cody Garbrandt on points, while Alonzo Menifield claimed a unanimous decision win over Oumar Sy in a light heavyweight bout.

The UFC returns to action next Saturday, June 21, with another Fight Night event set to take place at the Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan.