On Thursday, UFC officials announced that Chimaev (15-0) will make his first title defense in May, when he’ll take on Sean Strickland (30-7) in the main event of UFC 328.

The card takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on May 9, 2026, and sees Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta serving as co-headliner.

Chimaev defeated Dricus Du Plessis with apparent ease at UFC 319 last August. That marked the Chechen’s long-awaited summit at the top of the middleweight mountain. The only knock on “Borz” over the past few years has been his lack of activity, partly due to illness. He’s fought just once in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025.

That’s a drastic change of course from his early UFC career, when he set activity records in the promotion.

Strickland reinserted himself in the title picture by defeated the surging Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez by knockout in the main event of UFC Houston last month. After shocking the MMA world by defeating Israel Adesanya to claim gold in September of 2023, Strickland lost the title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in Toronto the following January.

A win over Paulo Costa earned Strickland a second crack at Du Plessis last year, but that fight didn’t go his way either. Yet with Reinier de Ridder falling off, Caio Borralho coming off a single win, and Hernandez having had the best case for a chance at gold, Strickland’s timing has proven perfect.

Thought Nassourdine Imavov might have something to say about it.

Announced for the UFC 328 card on May 9 are the following match-ups:

• Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland – for the UFC middleweight championship
• Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
• Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley
• Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov
• King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens
• Ateba Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz

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During Saturday’s UFC Houston broadcast, promotion officials announced that welterweights Joaquin Buckley (21-7) and Sean Brady (18-2) will headline the Fight Night show.

Brady comes in at #6 in the UFC’s official welterweight rankings, while Buckley holds the #9 spot.

Both men will be fighting for the first time in 2026.

Sean Brady last competed in November, when he was stopped by another rising contender in Brazil’s Michael Morales. Prior to that, the American had put together three straight wins, and submitted former champ Leon Edwards at home in England in the process.

As for “Newmansa” Buckley, he suffered a setback of his own in June, losing a Fight of the Night decision against former champ Kamaru Usman. A former middleweight with the 2020 Knockout of the Year, Buckley had put together six consecutive wins including victories over the likes of Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and former interim champ Colby “Chaos” Covington.

UFC Vegas 116 goes down at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 25, with just one other fight reported for the card thus far. That bout sees Yana Santos take on Norma Dumont in a key fight for the women’s bantamweight division.

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Saturday brought another main card six fights deep. All of the fights on the main card also went to a decision, though not all of them went the distance with one ending due to technical decision (via head clash). In the main event Joaquin Buckley was denied by the former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman in a five-round Fight of the Night winner. Some tricky, sensitive matchups for the fighters on this card.

Joaquin Buckley

Kamaru Usman turned back the clock and utilized his wrestling to derail the surging Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Atlanta. Buckley entered the fight riding a six-fight win streak seeing him stop four fighters in the stretch. Buckley entered the fight ranked at #7 in the welterweight division, while the former welterweight champ was ranked at #5.

The only move really for Buckley at this point-as the welterweight rankings are stagnant in some areas- is to fight Geoff Neal. Neal has won three of his last five losing only to Shavkat Rakhmanov and Ian Machado Garry in that nearly four-year stretch. The #11 ranked UFC welterweight was supposed to fight Carlos Prates on UFC 314 in April before he was forced to withdraw. If Neal is healthy, that is 100% the fight to make. A slick boxer that has excellent cage clinch work, Neal is incredibly dangerous. This will be an exciting back and forth standup battle that would be at treat for fans and an easy fight night headliner. Leaning on the optimistic side as well in terms of timing- Buckley will need a few months after the five-round dogfight, hopefully Neal is ready by then.

Buckley’s next fight: Geoff Neal 

Miranda Maverick

Rose Namajunas’s last round knockdown secured a unanimous decision win over Miranda Maverick in the co-main event of UFC Atlanta on Saturday. The loss snaps a four-fight win streak for Maverick seeing her defeating the likes of Priscila Cachoeira, Andrea Lee, Dione Barbosa and Jamey-Lyn Horth. Maverick entered the fight ranked at #11 while Rose was ranked at #7 in the women’s flyweight division.

Cortez is currently ranked at #10 in the division while Araujo is ranked at #8. Tracy’s last time out was actually on short notice against Rose after Macy Barber withdrew last July.  Cortez lost a five round unaimous decision in that fight. Cortez was temporarily slated against Maverick in July but will instead face Viviane on UFC 317. Araujo has won two of her last three with wins over Jenifer Maia and most recently, Karine Silva, last November. Good fight to make with the winner of this one likely rounding out the top 10-12. The loser would likely fall towards the tail end of the divisional rankings.

Maverick’s next fight: Loser of Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez

Andre Petroski

Andre Petroski was out-struck by a sharp and focused looking Edmen Shahbazyan on the way to a unanimous decision defeat Saturday. Petroski is now 8-3 with the UFC and had his three-fight win streak snapped with the loss.

Petroski should take on the loser of Jun Yong Park vs Ismail Naurdiev who fight on June 21. The timing would match up perfectly especially if the fight goes the distance. Ismail Naurdiev is currently on his second stint with the UFC after going 2-2 in 2019-2020. Naurdiev defeated Bruno Silva via unanimous decision back in October to welcome himself back to the UFC. Jun Yong Park is 8-3 with the UFC and has won five of his last six dating back to 2021. (Only dropping a split decision to Andre Muniz in December of 2023). A meaningful middleweight fight for the loser of this one as this division still needs to be sorted out.

Andre’s next fight: Loser of Jun Yong Park vs Ismail Naurdiev

Cody Garbrandt

Ranoi Barcelos defeated Cody Garbrandt in a high paced fight that went the distance. Garbrandt has now won just three of his last 10 fights dating back to losing the belt in 2017.

This outcome for Garbrandt does potentially set up a pretty interesting next fight. As a former bantamweight champion, he still holds a name but realistically turns 34 this next month at 135lbs.- which is an elite division. Garbrandt has been defeated by high level guys and the UFC 316 edition of Losers pitting him against Patchy Mix would still be a solid option. Patchy, who had a terrible UFC debut against then, #10 ranked, Mario Bautista needs a bounce back fight.

Cody desperately needs a win against relevant competition to finally plant his footing from his multiyear free fall. If Mix chooses to strike, Cody could have the potential to end the fight. And if the bout goes to the ground, Patchy has a good shot to stop the bout as well. Loser might be looking at whispers from the fan base of fighting for a roster spot with another loss.

Garbrandt’s next fight: Patchy Mix

Cody Brundage

Cody Brundage lost a technical decision to the undefeated Mansur Abdul-Malik at UFC Atlanta, after the bout was stopped prematurely due to an accidental clash of heads. A disappointing outing undoubtedly for Brundage as he is now 5-6, 1 NC in the UFC.

Brundage was matched up against The Ultimate Fighter Season 32 winner, Ryan Loder in March. However, the fight never went down as Loder withdrew. Instead, he fought Azamat Bekoev in May and was finished in the first round. This would great fight to revisit now after both outcomes though the timing isn’t the best. Both guys need to establish themselves within a chaotic middleweight division.

Brundage’s next fight: Ryan Loder

Oumar Sy

Alonzo Menifield defeated Oumar Sy in a technical battle that saw Sy’s decision to strike, ultimately cost him his undefeated record. Menifield entered the fight ranked at #15 in the light heavyweight division while Sy was on the outside looking in, without a ranking.

The light heavyweight division is an extremely shallow place and there is no reason to rush the 29-year-old after this misstep.  Sy is just 2-1 with the UFC. He’s got options. If Paul Craig vs Rodlfo Bellato is not rebooked after its no contest ending, then Bellato would be an excellent next opponent for Sy. Bellato is a two-time Contender Series vet that is 1-0-1, 1 NC with the promotion. Bellato is 12-2-1 as a pro, so very similar experience level. However, it’s understandable if that matchup doesn’t happen as the feature preliminary bout of UFC Atlanta between Craig and Bellato ended controversially. A good back up would be winner of Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio. Both fighters have 10 fights with the promotion and Crute has a draw and a loss to Menifield. Ideally, Bellato and Sy fight to determine their legitimacy within the division.

Sy’s next fight:  Rodolfo Bellato or Loser of Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio 

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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.

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Usman had not been seen since a loss to Khamzat Chimaev, his third straight setback including back-to-back title fight losses to Leon Edwards. Buckley, whose star has shone bright since dropping to 170lbs, entered off a win over Colby Covington.

Buckley was quick to move to center off the opening bell, after an introduction that saw both men pass on touching gloves. Usman, however, was right in on a takedown, landing his first about 40 seconds into the fight. With Buckley against the fence, Usman literally dragged him by the legs away from the cage. The former champ then settled in on top, looking to land shots to the body from half-guard. Usman would spent the remainder of the round in that position, finding space to do damage with punches and elbows and opening up a cut on “Newmansa.”

Round two saw more action on the feet, with Buckley getting time to work in high kicks, lefts, and rights. Usman however exploded into a takedown just under two minutes in, landing it from a good deal out. Again, Usman settled in on top, working the body some more. After an extended layoff, Usman looked as if he hadn’t missed a step. With seconds left in the frame, Usman briefly took mount, though he couldn’t stay there. Regardless, a second strong round from the former champion.

Entering the third round, Joaquin Buckley was in need of a momentum shift. He fired his hands early, and added an outside leg kick, staying mobile the entire time. Usman fired a kick to the body; Buckley connected with a left hand. He’d connect several more times in the first half of the round, until Usman, like clockwork, landed another takedown. Three takedowns, one per round, and Usman had dominated off of each. Though the latest came further into the third round than the first two, the end result was the same. And Joaquin Buckley, bloodied again, struggled to escape.

The championship rounds almost certainly found Buckley down 3-0; he had another extended run on the feet early in round four, the first two minutes being entirely stand-up. He ripped the body with an uppercut and connected more than once, but Usman’s durability was holding up. And again, in the back half of the round, “The Nigerian Nightmare” became Joaquin Buckley’s nightmare, and took the fight back down.

Between rounds, Buckley’s corner told him that they weren’t calling kamikaze, and instead needed him to set something up. Bottom line, however, was that reckless or set up, Buckley needed a finish. Usman, through four rounds, had needed just a single takedown in each to dominate the fight. If he landed one in the fifth, it was all but over.

Buckley came out hot in round five, looking to connect with something, anything. Winging punches. He’d find some success with his left, but Usman’s jab was also effective. This time, however, when the takedown attempt came, Buckley was able to fight it off. Then another! That led to a combination from Buckley, after which Usman drove him into the fence, slowing things down with 90 seconds remaining. Buckley escaped, and lunged in with another combo, a minute now still on the clock. Time was not Buckley’s friend, but he did land a straight left, then tag Usman again! Usman was backpedaling, but time was running down. The horn would sound before he could land a finishing blow, and while he might have won the round, Kamaru Usman had clearly won the fight.

Official Result: Kamaru Usman def. Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)

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Should Usman win, he’ll remain a long way off from a title shot even as a former UFC champion. Yet for Joaquin Buckley, another win would make it almost undeniable that he is in fact a big player at welterweight.

Also set for the UFC Altanta card, the co-main event finds Rose Namajunas, former strawweight champ, taking on Miranda Maverick in a flyweight battle.

Weigh-ins for UFC Atlanta take place Friday, full results can be found below.

UFC Atlanta: Usman vs. Buckley Weigh-In Results

Main card

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Buckley (21-6), ranked #7 in the 170lb division in comparison to Usman coming in at #5, is the favorite heading into the bout. That, despite Usman coming off a strong, albeit losing, performance against Khamzat Chimaev in his last outing.

Still, “Newmansa” was willing to give Usman props, but suggested the fight was more telling when it comes to Chimaev.

“I think he [Usman] did a great job. It really just showed in my personal opinion, Khamzat ain’t really what we think,” Buckley said during Wednesday’s UFC Atlanta media day. “But regardless of that though, I feel like with me and Usman, I’mma show them there’s going to be a night and day different with Khamzat’s performance over Kamaru Usman, and my performance that I’m going to have.”

And yet despite that, Joaquin Buckley does believe that a win over Buckley still lands him in the number one contender’s spot, though he admits no conversations with the promotion about just that have taken place. He also realizes that Islam Makhachev is next in line, regardless of ranking.

“This win is going to catapult me to be in the position of that number one contenders’ spot. But obviously this is a business, right, Islam has done a lot in the lightweight division. He has a massive name, it only makes sense for the UFC to give him the opportunity to fight for the belt,” stated Buckley. “With all that being said, I’mma let my performance speak for itself. Because a lot of things happen within this fight business that yet again we cannot predict. So if such a thing does happen, Buck gonna be ready when they come calling.”

Who wins in Makhachev versus champ Jack Della Maddalena? Buckley was quick to answer that question. “Islam. Islam.”

As to whether he’d welcome a match-up with the now-former lightweight champ, that’s for sure, though he doesn’t expect Makhachev to want it.

“I truly believe if Islam is able to win that 170 title, he gonna move. He’s done everything that he needs to do. What, he’s going to stick around and potentially lose that winning streak? I don’t think so. I think he’s really just trying to cement his name, this is really just kind of a legacy path. And once he wins that welterweight belt, the man going to retire at the end of the day. That’s my opinion.”

Watch the full UFC Atlanta media day appearance by Joaquin Buckley above.

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Usman (20-4) will take on Joaquin Buckley (21-6) in the main event of the Fight Night card on June 14, 2025. UFC officials announced the booking on Friday.

Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman has not been seen in action since an October 2023 loss to Khamzat Chimaev, his third consecutive setback. The ex-welterweight champ, who was unbeaten from 2013 to 2021, lost his title to Leon Edwards in 2022, suffering a head kick KO in the fifth and final round at UFC 278. Dropping a decision in the rematch, Usman then fell to Chimaev via majority decision, and has not competed since.

Joaquin Buckley, along with the likes of Shavkat Rakhmonov, Jack Della Maddalena, Sean Brady, and Ian Machado Garry, has been one of the rising, next generation stars in the UFC’s welterweight division. “Newmansa” has won six straight fights, a streak that includes victories over Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and most recently, Colby Covington.

Usman is ranked #4, and Buckley #6 in the promotion’s official welterweight rankings.

UFC Atlanta takes place June 14, 2025 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia with the following match-ups reported for the event to date:

• Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley
• Tereza Bledá vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
• Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick
• Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski
• Cody Durden vs. Jose Ochoa
• Cody Brundage vs. Mansur Abdul-Malik

The post Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley Announced, Headlines UFC Atlanta appeared first on Cageside Press.

Joaquin Buckley

This was by far the biggest fight of Buckley’s career thus far, and the lights weren’t too bright for him. In his first ever main event, “New Mansa” extended his win streak to six with a third-round doctor’s stoppage over Colby Covington. This win should push him near, or maybe even inside the top5 in the next rankings update.

In his post-fight interview, Buckley called out three names and let the audience decide his next opponent via an “applause-o-meter.” Of the three names he called out, champion Belal Muhammad makes the least amount of sense unless Shavkat Rakhmonov is out for a prolonged period. The other two were former champions Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. Edwards, who is said to headline the London Fight Night card on March 22, needs an opponent. Buckley has been active and wants it to remain that way, so a turnaround in late March shouldn’t be too quick for him, considering he took a negligible amount of damage from Covington.

Buckley’s next fight: Leon Edwards

Cub Swanson

“Killer” Cub’s stunning one hitter quitter KO over Billy Quarantillo in the UFC Tampa co-main was reminiscent of Robbie Lawler’s KO of Niko Price in his retirement fight. It has to be one of the better ways a fighter can dream to retire… if he does retire. The long-time veteran and fan-favourite Swanson has been hinting at an imminent retirement for his last few fights but seemed reluctant to fully commit to it. This Saturday was no different as he refused to take off his gloves and make it official.

If he does have one more in him, there is an age-appropriate matchup out there for him. Swanson has called for a fight with Urijah Faber in the past and Faber seemed up for it. He may be 45 and without a fight booked since 2019, but Faber has been staying in shape with some grappling matches here and there, including two this year. Plus, the UFC still has him listed as an “active” fighter on their roster.

Let the man with the “SoCal” tattoo on his chest fight “The California Kid” and let’s do it in California.

Swanson’s next fight: Urijah Faber

Manel Kape

“Starboy” lived up to his nickname and put on his best performance yet in the UFC on Saturday. He styled on Bruno Silva for two rounds before putting him away in the third despite taking multiple low blows. He then called for a title shot, hoping this performance would launch to the top of queue. With the blurry title picture at flyweight, he’s probably just one more fight away from it.

However, he’s still just one fight removed from the very disappointing Muhammad Mokaev bout. Also, with Deiveison Figueiredo now looking to throw his name into the hat, 125 might have more options than we thought.

Kai Kara-France is also right there with Kape as contenders next line. They were once booked against each other, there is bad blood, and the fight now makes more sense than ever. Let them go at it to determine which of the two really deserve their crack at the title.

Kape’s next fight: Kai Kara-France

Dustin Jacoby

In a fight that had the fans booing due to its lack of action, Dustin Jacoby put Vitor Petrino out cold at UFC Tampa with a right hand very similar to the one Kamaru Usman slept Jorge Masvidal with. This type of win was just what the doctor ordered for Jacoby who had lost his previous two fights and came into this one 1-4 in his last 5.

In terms of rankings and meritocracy, the winner of Ion Cutelaba and Ibo Aslan in Seattle makes a lot of sense. Selfishly, I’d like to see Jacoby face Artem Vakhitov. Both are former Glory kickboxers but have never faced each other. Vakhitov is most known for being the last person to defeat Alex Pereira in kickboxing. If the UFC is looking to replicate the storyline that they created between Pereira and Israel Adesanya, giving Vakhitov a debut against a kickboxer right outside the rankings might not be a bad idea.

Jacoby’s next fight: Artem Vakhitov

Daniel Marcos

Despite Marcos’ four UFC wins, a split decision over Adrian Yanez at UFC Tampa might not be enough to get him a ranked opponent due to how stacked with talent the division is. The undefeated Marcos turns 32 in March and I consider Yanez a quality win, so I’m willing to throw him against ranked opposition.

Kyler Phillips hit a roadblock against Rob Font this past October, so it would make sense for him to face someone outside the rankings. Thus, Marcos is a sensible opponent and the matchup itself should make an entertaining fight.

Marcos’ next fight: Kyler Phillips

Navajo Stirling

Navajo Stirling closed as a near 10-to-1 betting favourite and while he did show some promise, he also showed he is still very green. At 6-0 and after just turning 27 in November, there is a case to be made that he maybe shouldn’t be in the UFC this early into his career. Though, being this young at light-heavyweight isn’t the end the world since heavier weight classes tend to age slowly. The promotion should be in no hurry to push him up the ladder.

With Stirling firmly in the UFC, he should be matchmade for as if he were still on the regional scene.  When Carlos Ulberg, another City Kickboxing product, lost his debut, the UFC spent his next five fights matching him up against the lower tier of the division. Tuco Tokkos was a perfect opponent for his debut, and Ozzy Diaz is exactly the type of opponent Stirling should get next.

Stirling’s next fight: Ozzy Diaz

The post What’s Next: UFC Tampa Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Around 2AM local time, Buckley (21-6) walked into the media room, took to the mic, and issued a statement off the opening question, rather than fielding queries from reporters. Many of whom were fading after a long, though entertaining, night of fights.

“My first main event was a big success. I feel like the whole card was very successful, getting a lot of knockouts,” stated Buckley, addressing outlets including Cageside Press. “I feel like my fight shouldn’t have been stopped, but it is what it is, you’ve got to protect the fighters.”

“I feel like 2025 is definitely my year, and we’re definitely taking over. With this being said, on a six fight winning streak, I’ve got eight knockouts within the UFC. I feel like I hadn’t done enough to really put myself in a position to, yet again, fight for that title. Even though I know Shavkat is next, blessed to that fight, but if anything happens to where Shavkat or Belal doesn’t step up into the octagon, I’m willing to face them.”

“At the end of the day, we’re going to keep this nice and short, bro,” Buckley finished. “I’m definitely looking to take that throne. 2025. We’re out baby. Thank you.”

Mic drop. Buckley looked superb against Colby Covington, dominating the former interim champ and opening up the cut that stopped the fight. He would later poll fans at the Amalie Arena, asking which, between Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman, and champ Belal Muhammad he should fight next.

Usman took the vote by a slim margin, and as Dana White noted in his own press conference appearance, the fight “doesn’t suck.”

Watch the full UFC Tampa post-fight press conference with Joaquin Buckley above.

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