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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Namajunas (13-7) is the former queen of the 115ers but she made the move to 125 after dropping two-in-a-row at strawweight. 2-1 in her run at flyweight so far she has victories over Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez. She dropped a decision to Erin Blanchfield last November, but looked to right the ship against Maverick.

Maverick (15-5) came into this fight with 4 straight victories. Wins over Jamey-Lyn Horth, Dione Barbosa, Andre Lee and Priscila Cachoeira set her up for a shot at Namajunas. The 27-year-old believes a win over Namajunas supercharges her road to a title shot.

Round 1 Maverick tried to get in close with Namajunas using her jab to keep her at bay. Namajunas put the pressure on Maverick, but the younger flyweight wasn’t giving up much real estate choosing to rush forward with a combo.

Maverick landed a big left hand as Namajunas entered range which cause the former champ to slip down, but she popped back up quick. The combo gave Maverick some confidence as she began to use more power in her combos.

Round 2 Maverick came out firing a combo quick and landed. Then she began to force the action a bit, and Namajunas made her pay for it with a combo of her own. Namajunas continued her somewhat plodding footwork trying to find an angle and create power as she attacks. Not much landed using that strategy however.

Namajunas scored a slick takedown landing on top in open guard. Maverick worked to her hands and knees trying to get to her feet, but Namajunas wasn’t making it easy as she turned into a human backpack. Maverick shed one hook, but then Namajunas dragged her down and stayed on the back.

The same exact sequence happened again as Maverick almost got to her feet. Namajunas had an arm under the chin looking for the choke, but she couldn’t get it. Maverick powered out, took the back, then ended up on top in arm triangle position. She tried to finish the fight, but Namajunas defended and survived.

Round 3 Maverick came out and shot on Namajunas first. Namajunas defended well on the fence as Maverick looked for a trip.

A very fast left hook dropped Maverick and Namajunas landed on top almost in side control. Maverick, while recovering, managed to get her right leg into play as a shield. Namajunas shed it quickly and ended up in half guard.

Namajunas looked for an arm triangle but her legs weren’t in play so she let it go. Maverick was able to power out and sweep, but Namajunas swept her right back and ended up in side control.

Maverick tried to go belly down, but Namajunas did well to keep position. The fight ended with Namajunas on top. After the horn Maverick stood up limping as she clearly injured something in her left leg.

Official Result: Rose Namajunas def. Miranda Maverick via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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Maverick finds herself in the co-main event of UFC Atlanta this Saturday, facing off with former strawweight champ and flyweight contender “Thug” Rose Namajunas. It’s another big fight for Maverick (15-5), who sits on a four-fight win streak currently, and has business ventures and even a day job outside of fighting.

“My life is so busy. I don’t think most people don’t live the crazy life I do,” Maverick told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview in advance of UFC Atlanta. “So now that I don’t have a job, now that I’m on maternity leave and don’t have a job to worry about, the baby just fills the gaps of that time.”

Oddly enough, with the day job on the back burner Maverick might have more time to herself even with a baby in play. “I would say I have more free time now than I ever had when I had a job and the pickle business and the fighting. Now I really hold back on the pickle and honey business, I have others helping me with it. They’re going to the shows, they’re getting everything ready, the only thing I have to do is take care of my inventory and get everything stacked up for those shows.”

It’s the fight business Miranda Maverick is set to attend to this weekend. She came close to fighting “Thug” Rose once before, back when Tracy Cortez wound up taking the fight with the ex-champ last summer. Maverick and Namajunas are actually teammates out in Colorado, and the 27-year old has been watching the future Hall of Famer almost since day one.

“I’ve been watching Rose fight since I was pretty young in the sport, and now to not only be her teammate but now being her rival basically, and then we’ll go right back to training and being friends after, is awesome,” Maverick said of the pairing. “She is a hard fight, it’s gonna be the hardest fight to date, and I think I’m ready for it. I won’t even talk about the details, but I think I have a lot going for me in this fight, and I think I have a lot more avenues to be able to win this fight.”

Watch the our full interview with UFC Atlanta’s Miranda Maverick above, check out her media day session below.

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Namajunas (13-7) trained with Maverick, mostly in sparring, but still an interesting side not to the matchup.

“No second thoughts (on taking the fight) or anything. It’s something that I wasn’t like super surprised by just because, when I was matched up to fight Maycee (Barber) and she had pulled out last year, Miranda was one of the first people to kind of throw her name in the hat,” Namajunas told reporters on Wednesday.

“She was matched up to fight Tracy (Cortez) at the time. She was kind of upset that Tracy got that opportunity over her. We were training together for that fight. Mainly just like sparring not like all the other stuff.”

Even with the bit of history they have both in and out of the training room the fight isn’t personal for Namajunas. Being the former champ she knows how the fight game works.

“No, but I know that this is the fight business. She wants what I have, she wants my spot, and I got to just show her that she has to look for a different spot,” she said.

Looking ahead UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang has been talking about moving up to 125 to challenge Valentina Shevchenko. With the history she has with Namajunas would “Thug Rose” entertain a third bout?

“For sure. At 115 we did that twice there. If she was able to (move up) then yeah that would be something that at 125 would make it a little different,” said Namajunas.

Watch the entire media day scrum with Rose Namajunas above. She takes on Miranda Maverick at UFC Atlanta on Saturday night.

The post Rose Namajunas Says It’s Not Personal With Maverick appeared first on Cageside Press.

The #12-ranked flyweight, Maverick (15-5) announced her fight with #6-ranked Namajunas on social media on Thursday, revealing that it will take place on June 14, 2025 in Atlanta, GA.

The always well-spoken Maverick, who has juggled a university career as well as several small business endeavors alongside her UFC tenure, added a heartfelt message about the pairing with the former two-time UFC women’s strawweight champion.

“[Rose Namajunas] has been an inspiration for so many women, especially in WMMA, and I am no exception. I watched her fight as I was coming up in the sport and then I got to train with her on a regular basis,” stated Maverick. “We have been training together for the past few years, but luckily train primarily at different gyms. Now it’s time to duke it out in front of the world and then go back to sharpening each other’s tools. I’m honored to share the cage with a champion person and fighter and I am ready to put the stamp on where I belong!”

Miranda Maverick, 27, currently sits on a four-fight win streak, most recently earning a decision victory over Canadian Jamey-Lyn Horth. As for Namajunas, the 32-year old is 2-2 in her last four, and was last seen coming out on the wrong side of a decision against Erin Blanchfield at UFC Edmonton.

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“Worst victory I’ve ever gotten, worst performance I’ve ever done as far as still pulling out the win,” she told media outlets following a decision victory over the Canadian. “Just didn’t really pull out what I’ve got in there.”

Maverick (15-5) struggled to get takedowns early, had to contend with some borderline illegal elbows, and at times wound up on her own back against the lanky Canuck. Still, she came away with the W, and that counts for something.

“I’m very disappointed in my performance. I’m better than what I was. At the end of the day, a win is a win. I get paid for the win the way that I need to, hopefully re-negotiate and get higher up the ladder.”

To be fair, Maverick was not supposed to be fighting Jamey-Lyn Horth in Tampa. Her original match-up was Tracy Cortez, who pulled out of their booking, and not for the first time. Apparently done with the Cortez match-up, Miranda Maverick is now eyeing a fight with ex-strawweight champ Jessica Andrade.

“I was supposed to have a ranked opponent this time, I still want a ranked opponent next. I’d love to fight Jessica Andrade in April. She’s inspired me a lot through this journey,” Maverick stated. “Nobody in the top 15 to 10 wanted to fight me this time when Tracy[Cortez] dropped out. They had a five week notice and wanted to call it short-notice. So I want to keep moving up. I know this wasn’t the performance to really put a stamp on that, I’m really frustrated in how I did. But we all have flat days, and I’m blessed that on my flat day, I still pulled out a win.”

Maverick felt let down by every facet of her game against Horth. “I didn’t show my evolution. I showed low-volume, I showed low-fight IQ. Just wasn’t me.”

Still, it’s “up and onward” from here, added Maverick, who hopes to renew her UFC deal ahead of the final fight on her contract. Beyond that, she still has adoption to look forward to — as soon as Tuesday, Maverick and her husband will begin matching with expectant mothers, with the hope to expand her family next year.

How will fighting look as a mom remains to be seen, but Maverick isn’t expecting to take a ton of time off to adjust.

“That will always be my priority, is motherhood once this happens. But I won’t be taking much time off. Obviously if I go and get the kid and it’s two weeks before a fight, we’re going to have to figure something out. But I’ll try to be smart with it all, prioritize the way I always have.” Maverick is now stranger to juggling a full plate, of course. She has a full time job, and runs several business ventures, primarily Prowler Pickles and High Stakes Honey. “I’m sure I can work in this and adjust my priorities in life the same.”

Watch the full UFC Tampa post-fight press conference with Miranda Maverick above.

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Horth was fresh off her second win in the promotion, at UFC Edmonton against Ivana Petrovic just last month. The Squamish, B.C. native was getting a considerable step up in competition against “Fear the” Maverick, however. Maverick, previously ranked in the top 15, had won three straight, and was looking to earn a number next to hear name once again.

Round 1 Maverick came out busy landing kicks to the legs before Horth could land anything. Horth tried to use her length and height to give Maverick problems, but still ate plenty of shots.

Maverick waited until the 3 minute mark to shoot her first takedown attempt, which ended up on the fence, and Horth made her work real hard for everything. Maverick had to use as many tricks as she could and still only kept Horth down for a moment before she popped back up to her feet.

The round ended with Maverick letting Horth off the fence and both ladies throwing.

Round 2 Maverick went right back to fighting for the takedown, but Horth continued to stuff her attacks. During the takedown attempt Horth was able to get to the back of Maverick and dragged her down to the canvas.

Maverick was able to force the scramble and took Horth’s back, but the lazy hooks allowed Horth to spin on top of her and take the position.

Maverick got back to her feet, but the round ended with Horth on her back standing.

Round 3 Maverick got busy on the feet as she would rush in, land, and get out of range repeatedly. Horth took a bit to adjust to the change in game plan. Maverick was able to get Horth down eventually, but Horth used an ankle lock attack to get back to her feet.

The fight ended with both ladies emptying the tank, but ultimately Maverick would come out on top earning the decision victory.

Official Result: Miranda Maverick def. Jamey-Lyn Horth via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3) 

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While set to appear at UFC Tampa this Saturday, the final event of the promotion’s 2024 calendar year, Maverick (14-5) is also planning to grow her family. Specifically, her and her husband have begun the process to adopt; matching with a new son or daughter could come soon after the fight.

That’s one more thing for Miranda “Fear the” Maverick to be excited for, along with her pickle business, Prowler Pickles, honey business High Stakes Honey, and of course, her fighting career.

“I’ve been wanting a kid for a while. My husband and I are at a space where we want children. And right now among other reasons, it’s just not feasible with my career of course,” Maverick told Cageside Press in a recent interview, outlining the couple’s thought process when it comes to adoption.

“We’ve always wanted to adopt. We’ve talked about it since the first date pretty much, it was mentioned. We discussed it then and we’ve discussed it now. It’s been a long and scary and expensive journey, but we’re finally to the point where we will start matching, probably the day after the fight. Wait until that fight stress is over with. Even though we won’t know when a baby will be put in our arms, it could take up to a year kind of thing, we’re hoping it’s sooner rather than later, and the fight won’t interfere with it. But the baby at that point would become first priority.”

Initially, the Maverick and her husband were hoping to have their own children first. That, of course, would mean taking time out of her fighting career. And, she went on to point out, it really shouldn’t matter.

“We wanted our own children first, and it was one of those things where we were like ‘well we want our first shot at parenthood to be our own blood, our own genetics.’ And then we were discussing it and I was like ‘well then why are we adopting to begin with?’ Like if we think we’re going to treat them different or feel different towards them as parents and stuff.”

With that in mind, Maverick instead opted to take a more spiritual approach, her thinking being the Jesus adopted his followers, so “we should adopt here on Earth whenever we can.”

“We just want to have a better life for this child than maybe it would have had, and we’ll treat it just as if it was our own blood and our own genetics. And we’re very excited.”

Motherhood will no doubt, at some point, bring about a conversation about what mommy does for a living. Fighting in a cage isn’t your normal 9 to 5, drive a desk, punch a clock sort of job. In fact a clock is most certainly not what Maverick is punching when it comes to her career.

That said, she has no qualms about introducing her children to her fighting life when the time comes. “Listen, it’s a lot easier than explaining why I’m on Only Fans with my butt hanging out, which is what a lot of women out there do. For me, the fighting, I’ll explain to them that it is a sport, but I’ll also explain God’s abilities that he gives people, whatever potential I had out there, and how it came into being with MMA.”

“And on top of that,” Maverick continued, “how the sport works. I never got hurt too bad, explain to them the injuries that do come, the mental toughness it gives you, the adversity that you face in life and how life’s going to knock you down no matter what career path you choose. No matter who you are, or what you’re doing in life. And that they’re going to have to get past that too one day, and hopefully they can understand that they can be strong and tough and kind of go after whatever they think they can in life.”

Before the adoption goes through, Miranda Maverick has a fight with Canadian flyweight Jamey-Lyn Horth to take care of. Neither fighter is ranked at the moment, though Maverick has been in the past. Horth is coming off a win in Edmonton just last month, and was willing to fight on short notice, which is why the fight was put together.

Things between the two have been “very nice, cordial for now, in the cage obviously will be different,” noted Maverick, revealing that the pair exchanged pleasantries over social media. “I think as far as her skill set, I’m better in all areas. Obviously anybody is going to say that I would hope in interviews and stuff, I hope they have that confidence. But I think I’m almost ranked for a reason, and have been ranked for a reason. And in my own mind, I’m in the top eight as far as my skill level and all that, I just haven’t had a chance to climb to that point yet.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Tampa’s Miranda Maverick above.

The post Miranda Maverick Looking to Adopt, Grow Family Following UFC Tampa appeared first on Cageside Press.

News of the booking was first reported by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff. Horth confirmed the match-up on social media shortly after.

The Canadian flyweight is coming off a decision win over Ivana Petrovic this past weekend at UFC Edmonton. The victory improved Horth’s record to 7-1 overall, and 2-1 inside the UFC octagon. A native of Squamish, B.C., Horth ended an 11-month layoff with the Edmonton fight, and clearly doesn’t want to spend any more time on the sidelines.

As for Maverick (14-5), she’s currently ranked outside of the UFC’s top 15, but has flirted with the rankings in the past. On a three-fight win streak, she’s coming off a decision over Dione Barbosa in July.

UFC Tampa is headlined by welterweights Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley, and takes place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on December 13, 2024. The following fights have been reported for the event:

• Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley
• Amanda Ribas vs. Mackenzie Dern
• Cub Swanson vs. Billy Quarantillo
• Michael Johnson vs. Ottman Azaitar
• Joel Álvarez vs. Drakkar Klose
• Vitor Petrino vs. Dustin Jacoby
• Manel Kape vs. Bruno Gustavo da Silva
• Adrian Yañez vs. Daniel Marcos
• Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras
• Josefine Lindgren Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez
• Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
• Sean Woodson vs. Fernando Padilla
• Miranda Maverick vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth

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A flyweight bout between top prospects has been added to the December 14 UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida as number twelve ranked Tracy Cortez will face Midwest product Miranda Maverick.  Maverick broke the news herself on social media.  The fight is a rebooking from this past July prior to the two being given different opponents.

@rosenamajunas got it last time; now its my turn. I have a long time until the fight which means I have a long time to keep getting better. I suggest she leaves her eyelashes at home.😎 #fearthemaverick

December 14
Tampa, FL pic.twitter.com/o0ZFcKGkYS

— Miranda Maverick (@FearTheMAVERICK) August 27, 2024

Cortez (11-2) was pulled from her bout with Maverick this past July when an injury to Maycee Barber led to the UFC calling upon her to fight a week earlier in a headlining bout in Colorado against former strawweight champion and current flyweight contender Rose Namajunas.  Cortez came up short in the bout, snapping her eleven fight win-streak that she began prior to joining the UFC and had kept going through five bouts inside the Octagon.

Maverick (14-5) maintained her original fight date on July 20 and went on to dominate short notice replacement Dione Barbosa to extend her win-streak to three.  “Fear The” expressed her desire to still have the fight with Cortez to move up the rankings and gets her wish as she continues to push for a perennial spot in the top-15 and a chance to move toward bigger fights in the flyweight division.

No main event for the event has been announced.  The card is currently still in development as a strawweight rematch between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas and a light-heavyweight bout between Dustin Jacoby and Vitor Petrino are the only fights to have been announced.  The event will take place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

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