The UFC is back at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia for the first time since 2019 for a UFC Fight Night card headlined by a welterweight matchup between former UFC 170-pound champion Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley. In the UFC Atlanta co-main event, former UFC strawweight titleholder Rose Namajunas faces Miranda Maverick in a 125-pound matchup. Below is the pertinent information you need to know about tonight’s UFC Atlanta fight card.
UFC Tonight: UFC Atanta Main Event – Kamaru Usman Vs. Joaquin Buckley
Kamaru Usman (20-4) , the former UFC welterweight champion, enters UFC Atlanta on a three-fight losing skid. The 38-year-old last fought in October 2023, when he dropped a split decision to Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight matchup.
Usman lost his 170-pound crown to Edwards via a head-kick knockout at UFC 278 in August 2022. He dropped the rematch at UFC 286 in March of 2023 via a majority decision. Before his loss, Usman had defended the title five times.
Usman is the No. 5 ranked fighter in the UFC’s welterweight weight class. He has a career record of 20-3.
Joaquin Buckley (21-6) is the No. 7 fighter in the UFC’s 170-pound weight class. The 31-year-old Buckley is one quite a run since dropping to welterweight in 2023.
Buckley is 6-0 during his current welterweight run with four knockouts and two decision wins. He fought four times in 2024, picking up a knockout win over Vicente Luque, a decision victory over Nursulton Ruziboev, a knockout over two-time UFC title challenger Stephen Thompson. Buckley finished the year with a doctor stoppage TKO win over former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington in December.
UFC Tonight: UFC Atanta Co-Main Event – Rose Namajunas Vs. Miranda Maverick
Rose Namajunas (13-7) was 2-1 and had under two years of professional MMA experience when she fought Carla Esparza for the UFC women’s strawweight title on the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter Season 20. Esparza won that December 2014 bout by submission, claiming the inaugural 115-pound title.
Over the next few years, Namajunas was essentially learning on the job, and she learned well, running up a record of 4-1 between October 2015 and April 2017.
In November 2017, Namajunas stepped into the Octagon to face then-UFC strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The champ was a -700 favorite on fight night, while the challenger checked in at +500. Namajunas stunned the MMA world that night, scoring an upset first-round knockout win to become the champ. Proving her victory was not a fluke, Namajunas defeated Jedrzejczyk by decision in their rematch in April 2018.
Namajunas lost the title in her second attempted defense when Jessica Andrade scored a slam knockout win at UFC 237. A non-title fight victory over Andrade, who dropped the belt in August 2019 to Zhang Weili, followed. That win earned Namajunas another shot at the title.
In April 2021, Namajunas regained the belt with a perfectly timed head kick to stop Weili in the first round. She defeated the former champ by decision in their rematch in November 2021. Namajunas surrendered the title to Esparza in May 2022 in a tepid performance.
Since losing the title, Namajunas is 2-2 at 125 pounds, losing a decision to Manon Fiorot in September 2023, defeating Amanda Ribas by decision in March 2024 and beating Tracy Cortez by decision in July 2024. In her most recent outing, Namajunas dropped a decision to Erin Blanchfield in November.
Namajunas is the No. 7 ranked UFC women’s flyweight fighter.
Miranda Maverick (15-5) joined the UFC in 2020 after spending most of her time with Invicta FC. At the time, she was 7-2 and coming off a “Performance of the Night” bonus-winning decision win over Pearl Gonzalez.
Maverick opened her UFC career with two wins. The promotion then matched her against another young fighter, Maycee Barber. Barber was on a two-fight losing skid at the time. She ended that run of defeats with a split-decision win over Maverick.
Things did not get any easier for Maverick in her next matchup, as the UFC booked her opposite Erin Blanchfield, who was 1-0 in the UFC, but riding a four-fight winning streak. Blanchfield kept that winning streak intact with a unanimous decision win over Maverick.
Since those back-to-back setbacks, Maverick has gone 6-1 with her only loss being a June 2023 decision to Jasmine Jasudavicius. She is 4-0 in her most recent bouts, and coming off a unanimous decision win over Jamey-Lyn Horth in December.
Maverick is ranked 11th in the UFC’s 125-pound division.
UFC Tonight: UFC Atlanta Main Event Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions – Kamaru Usman Vs. Joaquin Buckley
When the betting lines opened for the UFC Atlanta main event, Usman was a +220 betting underdog to the -275 Buckley. Today, Buckley is the -285 betting favorite, while the former UFC champ is a +225 betting underdog.
Usman has received 70 percent of the bets on this fight, while 56 percent of the handle has come in on Buckley.
The betting pick is for Buckley to win via decision, but there’s a chance of a Buckley knockout victory.
UFC Tonight: UFC Atlanta Co-Main Event: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions – Rose Namajunas Vs. Miranda Maverick
When the betting opened for the UFC Atlanta co-main event, Namajunas was a -275 favorite over Maverick, who came in at +220. Those odds have shifted slightly. Today, Namajunas is listed at -250, while Maverick is the +200 betting underdog.
Bettors have placed most of their wagers on Maverick (75 percent), while most of the money is on Namajunas (85 percent).
The betting pick is for Namajunas to beat Maverick by decision.
*Odds via BetMGM
UFC Tonight: UFC Atlanta Main Card
Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley – Welterweight
Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick – Women’s Flyweight
Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos – Bantamweight
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Cody Brundage – Middleweight
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski – Middleweight
Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy – Light Heavyweight
UFC Tonight: UFC Atlanta Preliminary Card
Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato – Light Heavyweight
Michael Chiesa vs. Court McGee – Welterweight
Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Kris Moutinho – Bantamweight
Cody Durden vs. Jose Ochoa – Flyweight
Ricky Simón vs. Cameron Smotherman – Bantamweight
Phil Rowe vs. Ange Loosa – Welterweight
Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Vanessa Demopoulos – Women’s Flyweight
UFC Tonight: UFC Atlanta Fight Card – Prop Bets To Consider
Buckley to beat Usman via KO/TKO: +140
Namajunas to beat Maverick via decision: -185
Maverick to beat Namajunas via decision: +300
Edmen Shahbazyan to beat Andre Petroski via KO/TKO in Round 1: +245
Petroski to beat Shahbazyan via decision: +375
Cody Garbrandt to beat Raoni Barcelos via KO/TKO: +285
Mansur Abdul-Malik to beat Cody Brundage by KO/TKO: -325
Abdul-Malik to beat Brundage in Round 1: -105
Abdul-Malik to beat Brundage in Round 2: +275
Alonzo Menifield to beat Oumar Sy: +500
*All bets and odds via BetOnline
Stay tuned for more coverage for tonight’s UFC Atlanta fight card: Usman vs. Buckley, including results, video highlights and more from the UFC Fight Night event.