UFC Atlanta start time, full fight card details | Usman vs. Buckley

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to stage UFC Atlanta later TONIGHT (Sat., June 14, 2025) inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Headlining the ESPN+-streamed event will be a Welterweight fight between former division champion, Kamaru Usman, taking on Joaquin Buckley. In the co-headlining act, former women’s Strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas, will face Miranda Maverick.

What’s Hot:

After 20 months on the sidelines, former UFC Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, will make his long-awaited return to action in an attempt to get back on the winning track. “The Nigerian Nightmare” is currently on the worst losing streak of his career having lost three in a row, with his last win coming almost four years ago. To Usman’s credit, those losses came against former champion, Leon Edwards (twice), and human wrecking machine, Khamzat Chimaev, whom he faced on 10 days notice. Still, the former champion is in desperate need of a win, and it won’t come easy against a surging contender who is out to get his first whiff of a UFC title shot.

Currently ranked No. 7 at 170 pounds, Buckley has won his last six fights and is on the hunt for a Top 5 spot and title fight consideration. He has defeated the likes of Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson and was last seen defeating Colby Covington via third-round technical knockout (TKO) in Dec. 2024, the biggest win of his career thus far. But taking out a former champion like Usman would be just a tad bigger, and one that will put him in the championship mix alongside Shavkat Rakhmonov and Sean Brady. Usman undoubtedly has the wrestling advantage here, but Buckley is the better striker. That is not to say that Usman is a novice in that area (he’s not), but if he goes toe-to-toe against Buckley it may not end well for him. This one should be fun.

What’s Not:

Andre Petroski will attempt to secure his fourth straight win when he battles Edmen Shahbazyan in a Middleweight affair. I am not a big fan of this matchup because Petroski is on a heater, while “The Golden Boy” has not had consecutive wins in five years. Nevertheless, Petroski has a chance to make a case for a Top 15 spot with another win.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

A women’s Flyweight bout between Jamey-Lyn Horth and Tereza Bleda was set to go down on this card before Bleda withdrew from the fight as a result of a staph infection. She was replaced by Vanessa Demopoulos, who is currently on a two-fight skid. As for Horth, she was last seen losing to Miranda Maverick via unanimous decision in Dec. 2024.

Injuries:

Ricky Simon was scheduled to face Charles Jourdain on this card before Jourdain withdrew during fight week due to an eye injury and was replaced by Cameron Smotherman, who is coming off a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Serhiy Sidey. As for Simon, he snapped his three-fight skid by knocking out Javid Basharat earlier this year (highlights).

New Blood:

No Newcomers for this event.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

In a fight between two longtime veterans that probably should have happened long ago, Michael Chiesa and Court McGee will battle in a Welterweight affair. Chiesa has turned things around for himself by winning two straight over Tony Ferguson and Max Griffin after suffering three straight defeats. As for McGee, he finally got back in the win column after a two-year drought and two-fight skid by defeating Tim Means via submission in Oct. 2024, his first finish in 14 years.

Malcolm Wellmaker will be the largest betting favorite in UFC history at -2500 for his fight against Kris Moutinho. Wellmaker is undefeated at 9-0, and won his UFC debut by knocking out Cameron Saaiman in the very first round (highlights), the seventh finish of his career. As for Moutinho, he will be making his second run under the UFC banner after winning five in a row on the regional circuit, all finishes. In his first go-around with the promotion, he went 0-2, losing to Sean O’Malley and Guido Cannetti.

Cody Durden will attempt to get back on track when he battles Jose Ochoa in a Flyweight bout. Durden is coming off a loss at the hands Joshua Van, bringing his UFC record to 1-3 in his last four outings, so a win is of the utmost importance. As for Ochoa, he suffered the first and only loss of his career in his previous bout after losing to Lone’er Kavanagh in what was his UFC debut. Like Durden, he needs a win in the worst way if he wants to stick around the Octagon for an extended period.

Ange Loosa saw his two-fight win streak go up in smoke after loosing to Gabriel Bonfim, his first defeat in three years. Against Philip Rowe, he will be facing a struggling combatant who is on a two-fight losing streak, bringing his record to an even 3-3 inside the Octagon.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Paul Craig has had a pretty rough stretch as of late, losing three in a row and five of his last six overall and was last seen losing to Bo Nickal at UFC 309. Should “Bearjew” lose his fourth in a row when he goes up against Rodolfo Bellato, it could signal the end of his UFC career once and for all. Bellato is 4-1-0 in his last five fights and has yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon.

Interest Level: 7/10

Rose Namajunas will attempt to get back on track after losing to Erin Blanchfield in her previous fight when she goes up against Miranda Maverick in a women’s Flyweight bout. “Thug Rose” is adamant she’s made the changes to show she’s the best she’s ever been, but that remains to be seen and Maverick is going to test that theory. Maverick is eying a spot in the Top 10 and is currently on a four-fight win streak. If she can hand Namajunas her second straight loss, she will be in the Top 10 and “Thug Rose” will likely consider another change in weight class.

After battling a bad case of vertigo that has kept him on the sidelines for over a year, former UFC Bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt returns to the Octagon to face off against Raoni Barcelos. “No Love” hasn’t competed since losing to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300 via submission (highlights). As for Barcelos, he is on a two-fight win streak and is coming off a big win over Payton Talbott, handing the Contender Series standout the first loss of his career earlier this year.

Undefeated (8-0, 2-0 UFC) Middleweight contender, Mansur Abdul-Malik, will look to remain perfect in his young MMA career when he goes head-up against Cody Brundage, who is coming off a knockout win over Julian Marquez. Abdul-Malik is 2-0 so far under the UFC banner and is already making waves, and he has no plans on stopping anytime soon.

Alonzo Menifield will attempt to hand Oumar Sy the first loss of his MMA career in the opening fight of the main card. Sy is 11-0, 2-0 UFC with eight finishes (four knockouts, four submissions), and is as well-rounded as they come, He will be in for a tough test against Menifield, who narrowly avoided a three-fight skid by defeating Julius Walker via split decision in his last fight.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Atlanta Fight Card:

UFC Atlanta Main Event on ESPN/ESPN+:

170 lbs.: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley

UFC Atlanta Main Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (10 p.m. ET):

125 lbs.: Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick185 lbs.: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski135 lbs.: Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos185 lbs.: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Cody Brundage205 lbs.: Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy

UFC Atlanta ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

205 lbs.: Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato170 lbs.: Michael Chiesa vs. Court McGee135 lbs.: Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Kris Moutinho125 lbs.: Cody Durden vs. Jose Ochoa135 lbs.: Ricky Simon vs. Cameron Smotherman (not Charles Jordain)170 lbs.: Ange Loosa vs. Phil Rowe125 lbs.: Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Vanessa Demopoulos

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights subject to change.*

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Atlanta fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET.

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