The UFC returns to Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, with former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman headlining UFC Atlanta opposite surging contender Joaquin Buckley.
Usman is returning to action for the first time since a 2023 loss to Khamzat Chimaev, his third straight defeat after back-to-back title fight losses against Leon Edwards. The division has since moved on; Belal Muhammad dethroned Edwards, then Jack Della Maddalena took the belt from Muhammad. Usman, now 38, is in a precarious position: older than most successful contenders, making a second title reign a longshot, despite that being his desired intent. Another loss would relegate him to “fun” fights or being fed to up-and-comers (Buckley might be seen as the first step in that).
As for Buckley, after dispatching Colby Covington, he’s looking to land another big name in a title run that suddenly feels very legitimate. After the 2020 Knockout of the Year winner saw some struggles at 185, it appeared he might be relegated to “that guy” status – that guy with the crazy knockout. Moving to 170 has made Buckley a played, and a headliner, in a welterweight division drastically changed from Usman’s heydey.
In the night’s co-main event, former strawweight champ Rose Namajunas faces off against teammate Miranda Maverick, in a fight that could land Maverick in title contention at 125lbs, though admittedly a few fights away from an actual title shot.
Our picks are in for UFC Atlanta’s six-fight main card. Read on to see how we think this one plays out!
| Writer / Fight | Menifield vs. Sy | Abdul-Malik vs. Brundage | Garbrandt vs. Barcelos | Shahbazyan vs. Petroski | Namajunas vs. Maverick | Usman vs. Buckley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Law (62-36) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Alex Behunin (61-37) | | | | |  | |
| Patrick McCorry (54-34) | | | |  | |  |
| Brett Cagle (60-38) | | | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (59-39) |  | | | | | |
| Chris Prawdzik (51-35) | | |  | | | |
| Patrick Danaa (0-0) | | | | | | |
There was just one unanimous selection among our writers responding for UFC Atlanta. That would be Mansur Abdul-Malik, who is paired up with Cody Brundage in middleweight action. Despite Brundage having been around the UFC for a minute, no one is siding with him to get the W on Saturday.
That said, Cody Garbrandt and Oumar Sy are heavy favorites over their respective opponents, Raoni Barcelos and Alonzo Menifield. Only one writer in each case sided against the favorite.
In the main event, Joaquin Buckley has a clear edge over ex-champ Kamaru Usman.
