Being blunt, Phil Rowe vs. Ange Loosa was arguably a stronger contender, but the UFC Atlanta main event between Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley took home Fight of the Night honors in the end.
Saturday night’s Usman vs. Buckley marked the first fight for ex-welterweight champ Kamaru Usman since a 2023 loss to Khamzat Chimaev. It also marked the end of a three-fight skid including back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards for Usman, while for Buckley, the setback was his first as a welterweight on his current run. Six fight win streak over, Buckley will now look to shore up his takedown defense, which failed him in the fight repeatedly until the final round, when Usman had arguably begun to tire.
The first four rounds saw Usman land one takedown in each, with Buckley unable to get back up in all cases. That glaring hole in his armor isn’t going get Buckley where he needs to be in terms of the title picture, and will be something to watch for next time out.
Usman, meanwhile, was emotional after the fight, speaking about getting the monkey off his back and knowing he can still compete at the highest level.
It was a good fight; Rowe vs. Loosa was more entertaining, with Rowe landing a late comeback after being down two rounds. Post-fight bonuses are at the whim of the UFC, however. Better luck next time.
Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Atlanta went to Jose Ochoa, who knocked out a local fave in Cody Durden, and Malcolm Wellmaker. Wellmaker put away the returning Kris Moutinho with a hook that will no doubt play on highlight reels for a while to come.
