UFC Atlanta battle week rolls on. Saturday night time, the well-known UFC Octagon makes its final cease earlier than the calendar turns over to summer season subsequent week inside Atlanta’s State Farm Area for this week’s version of UFC Struggle Night time.
Stay protection begins Saturday night with the undercard at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT. Inside the USA, this occasion will be seen from starting to finish on ESPN+. In Canada, Sportsnet will carry the fights this upcoming weekend.
Barring any changes to this weekend’s schedule, the ultimate model of Saturday night time’s card will function a full 13-fight slate. There are some fascinating matchups to speak about on the UFC Atlanta important card over the weekend.
UFC Atlanta Foremost Occasion: No. 5 Contender Kamaru Usman vs. No. 7 Contender Joaquin Buckley
On the high of the invoice on Saturday night time, motion takes place at welterweight. The primary occasion of the night is an important bout at 170 because it pertains to the contendership for the category’ championship.
No. 5 contender Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA,15-3 UFC) , the previous UFC Welterweight Champion, meets up with No. 7 contender Joaquin Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC). This battle is an marketed most of 5 rounds at 5 minutes per spherical to shut the present in UFC Atlanta.
Kamaru Usman can be making the stroll to the cage this Saturday night time having gone 2-3 in his final 5 fights. He’s dropped three fights in succession and hasn’t fought in over a 12 months and a half.
Again in October of 2023, he sustained a majority determination defeat after three rounds of motion to Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in his first battle after shedding the welterweight title by the use of majority determination to Leon Edwards (22-5, 1 NC MMA, 14-4, 1 NC UFC.) Usman hasn’t entered the Octagon since that autumn night time practically two years in the past as a consequence of points together with his knees.
How will he do in his first battle since UFC 294? Tune into the UFC Atlanta important occasion and discover out.
In the meantime, Joaquin Buckley comes into the battle this weekend sporting a report of 5-0 in his final 5 appearances as a part of a six-fight successful streak. Final December, within the closing UFC present of 2024 in Tampa, he scored a third-round TKO victory over Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) after the battle physician waved off the competition as a result of latter receiving a reduce above his eye.
Buckley’s opponent’s knee points got here up throughout Wednesday’s media availability.
“With him not having [any] knees?,” Buckley requested the media on the UFC Atlanta press junket. “Simply good footwork, good footwork, shifting round Kamaru Usman. On the finish of the day, there are quite a lot of fighters in my division who don’t know find out how to transfer. They only form of stand proper in entrance of one another.”
With Buckley having gained six in a row, one other victory in UFC Atlanta might imply he’s as little as one battle away from competing for the title.
UFC Atlanta Co-Foremost Occasion: No. 7 Contender Rose Namajunas vs. No. 11 Contender Miranda Maverick
Instantly beforehand, the co-main occasion of the night occurs at girls’s flyweight. No. 7 contender and former UFC Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas (13-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) collides with No. 11 contender Miranda Maverick (15-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC.) This can be a three-round battle at 5 minutes per spherical.
“Thug” Rose Namajunas enters UFC Atlanta with a report of 2-3 in her final 5 contests. Most not too long ago, she got here away on the fallacious finish of a unanimous determination after quarter-hour of motion to Erin Blanchfield (13-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in Edmonton.
To seek out the final time that Namajunas had a sustained successful streak, you’d want to return to the time between July 11, 2020 and Nov. 6, 2021, throughout which era she reclaimed the 115-lb division’s strap. She briefly considered ending her profession as a fighter just a few years in the past upon shedding the strawweight title for the second time earlier than deciding to go to the 125-lb division.
Can Rose Namajunas return to the win column this weekend?
Throughout the way in which, Miranda Maverick, an alumnae of Invicta Combating Championships and the winner of its September 2019 Phoenix Collection 2 event at flyweight, has a 4-1 report in her final 5 fights.
To date, she’s gained 4 fights in succession. On Dec. 14 in St. Petersburg, FL, she prolonged her successful streak (unanimous determination) after besting Jamey-Lyn Horth (7-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC.) This can be a important quarter-hour (or much less) of motion for Maverick, who will in all probability discover herself contained in the top-10 at 125 on Monday if she emerges victorious in opposition to the previous strawweight champ.
UFC Atlanta: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski
Additionally on the UFC Atlanta important card on Saturday night time, you’ll see a middleweight tussle matching Edmen Shahbazyan (14-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) with Andre Petroski (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC.)
Shahbazyan heads to Atlanta for this weekend’s card with a mark of 3-2 over the course of his final 5 fights. Again on Feb. 15, he obtained his hand raised in victory after scoring a first-round knockout with a proper hook to Dylan Budka (8-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC.)
The knockout made his pockets heavier after the battle that night, with UFC CEO Dana White awarding him a $50,000 (USD) bonus for the Efficiency of the Night time. Edmen Shahbazyan will attain a profession milestone on Saturday in UFC Atlanta, with this battle being his twentieth profession look within the sport of MMA throughout all promotions.
If Shahbazyan turns in one other highlight-reel end, he may very well be in line for an additional bonus in battle quantity 20.
Within the different nook, Andre Petroski is available in with a report of 3-2 in his personal proper over the past 5 fights. He’s gained three bouts in a row forward of UFC Atlanta and likewise fought on Feb. 15.
That night time, he scored a unanimous determination victory in opposition to Rodolfo Vieira (10-3 MMA, 5-5 UFC). With each Shahbazyan and Petroski having fought on the identical night, this battle is a type of uncommon occasions the place each contestants have equal footing between appearances. This ought to be a enjoyable battle to look at.
Remaining Ideas
Which important card battle or fights are you trying ahead to on UFC Atlanta? Tell us within the feedback.
