There was no UFC belt around his waist at the end of the night, but Kamaru Usman looked a lot like his old self Saturday night.
Usman (21-4) picked up his first win in more than three years at UFC Fight Night in Atlanta, as he defeated Joaquin Buckley (21-7) by unanimous decision in their welterweight main event. All three judges scored the bout for Usman, with scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.
It was Usman’s first victory since November 2021 and snapped a three-fight losing streak.
“It’s been a while,” Usman said as he struggled to control his emotions in the postfight interview. “I needed to get that monkey off my back. I know I’m still able to do this at the highest level. … I expected him to be really tough, which he was. He’s a very talented guy. I show love and respect to all of these guys because I know what it takes to work and get here.”
A former welterweight champion and No. 1 pound-for-pound candidate, Usman, 38, came off a 20-month layoff to face Buckley on Saturday. He relied heavily on his collegiate wrestling background, particularly through the first four rounds. He took Buckley down in each of the first four rounds and had little difficulty keeping Buckley on his back and racking up offense.
Everything nearly changed in the last round, as Usman started to fade and telegraph his shots. According to UFC Stats, he went 4-for-7 on takedown attempts in the first four rounds and 0-for-6 in the final five minutes. Buckley, 31, came on strong and appeared to hurt Usman with winging hooks and uppercuts. Usman’s experience paid off, though, and he managed to avoid the big shot.
The loss snapped Buckley’s six-fight winning streak. Four of those six wins had come via knockout.
“I’m going to be honest, I’m just glad to be in this Octagon with someone who is known as one of the best,” Buckley said. “For us to go five rounds and put on an amazing fight, I’m just so happy. I’ve come a long way to see me here. This ain’t gonna be the end. We just getting started.”
Before his three-fight skid, Usman put together one of the greatest runs in UFC history. He was on his way to a sixth title defense in August 2022 when Leon Edwards caught him with a devastating head kick in the fifth round of their title fight. Usman went on to lose to Edwards again in an immediate rematch and then dropped a decision to Khamzat Chimaev in a short-notice contest at middleweight.
His performance at State Farm Arena against Buckley was vintage Usman from the very start. He took Buckley down in the opening minute, established control and opened a small cut near Buckley’s right eye with elbows. The following rounds were essentially a rinse-and-repeat effort of the first, although Buckley deserved credit for maintaining his composure and cardio down the stretch.
The result is something of a shakeup for the 170-pound division, with Usman defeating Buckley as a significant betting underdog. He now finds himself a legitimate option for the winner of a welterweight title fight between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, which is expected to take place later this year.
In the co-main event, former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (14-7) improved to 3-2 as a flyweight after defeating Miranda Maverick (15-5) via unanimous decision. The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
The matchup played out very tight on the feet, but Namajunas used several key takedowns to control Maverick on the ground and pick up the win.
Namajunas’ record at 125 pounds might not look title-challenger worthy, but her only losses have come against the very top of the division in Manon Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield.
