Before Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley step into the Octagon this weekend in Atlanta, fight fans will be treated to a deep Fight Night undercard featuring some notable names as well as a handful of newer talents that boast plenty of star potential.

Rose Namajunas, while still only 32 years old, is in her 11th year as a UFC competitor.

The two-time strawweight champion moved up to flyweight a couple years ago, and although her 2-2 record in the 125-pound division doesn’t jump off the page, “Thug Rose” has proven she remains one of the top talents on the women’s side of the sport.

Namajunas lost a three-round decision to Manon Fiorot in her first flyweight matchup despite a significant size disadvantage and the fact that the bout took place in Fiorot’s home country of France. Fiorot had beaten all her UFC opponents until one month ago when she was outduelled by reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko in a competitive five-round contest at UFC 315 in Montreal.

Back-to-back wins over ranked contenders Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez earned Namajunas a five-round co-main event spot against the touted Erin Blanchfield this past November in Edmonton, where she lost another close decision – three rounds to two on all scorecards.

Namajunas returns to action Saturday in another co-main event when she faces Miranda Maverick, who has won four in a row and six of her past seven.

Maverick is 27 and has only lost to top competition. She is 8-3 in the UFC with each of her losses being three-round decisions to Blanchfield, Maycee Barber and Canada’s Jasmine Jasudavicius, who are currently ranked No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.

Namajunas sits at No. 7 and is the most accomplished fighter Maverick has faced thus far in her career. Maverick holds a notable past victory over Gillian Robertson, which has aged well considering the Canadian’s recent hot streak, and she should have a strength advantage over Namajunas, who holds multiple wins over both Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her career.

The winner of this co-main event will remain a relevant player in the women’s flyweight title picture, which is quite compelling at the moment.

Garbrandt has an interesting idea if victorious: Cody Garbrandt joins Usman and Namajunas as the third former UFC champion featured on the card. The one-time bantamweight titleholder is back for the first time since UFC 300 as he is set to take on the perennially underrated Raoni Barcelos.

Garbrandt, 33, hasn’t competed since being submitted by fellow former champ Deiveson Figueiredo 14 months ago, but he’s entering the weekend with his usual confidence.

At Wednesday’s UFC Atlanta media day, Garbrandt was asked for his thoughts on Sean O’Malley’s recent performance against Merab Dvalishvili in their championship rematch. Garbrandt didn’t hold back, saying the fellow former bantamweight champ “looked like (expletive)” and all the pre-fight changes O’Malley underwent during his training camp didn’t help him in the cage.

“Sometimes you lose and you try to reinvent yourself and find yourself,” Garbrandt explained. “At the end of the day, you know who you are, you know what you’ve got to do. I know I’m one of the best fighters in the world, but when you lose, you’ve got everyone in your ear saying you need to do this, do that. Just remember what got you there and who you are at the end of the day.”

Garbrandt also said that a future matchup against O’Malley is something he’s “definitely” open to, while adding that he’s “focused on the fight this Saturday and we’ll let everything else fall in line.”

Like Garbrandt, Barcelos is a seasoned veteran with a strong boxing and wrestling base. The 38-year-old from Brazil is coming off back-to-back wins, including an upset of Payton Talbott in January.

Rising talents: There are a handful of fighters competing this weekend who have high-ceiling potential. Perhaps most notable is Malcolm Wellmaker, who’ll welcome Kris Moutinho back to the UFC. Wellmaker is a 2024 Contender Series grad who earned his first UFC win in April. His Contender Series bout and his UFC debut both ended with him knocking out his opponent with a clean counter right hand.

Wellmaker is from nearby Augusta, Ga., and is the biggest betting favourite on the card, so he should have the Atlanta crowd at his back. The 31-year-old is 9-0 as a pro and poses a serious threat on the feet.

Moutinho gained notoriety for his 2021 loss to Sean O’Malley, during which he showed tremendous heart and durability in a short-notice appearance. He was released by the UFC following a subsequent loss in 2022 but has since gone on a five-fight winning streak on the regional circuit to earn his way back to the big show.

Meanwhile, Wellmaker isn’t the only name to keep a close eye on.

Mansur Abdul-Malik (8-0) is a touted and powerful prospect who already has a 2-0 UFC record after earning a contract last August. He takes on Cody Brundage, who’s riding high off a March knockout win over Julian Marquez.

Oumar Sy (11-0) is a 29-year-old from France with well-rounded finishing ability. He has four wins by KO/TKO and four by submission. He faces veteran Alonzo Menifield, who has been in there against some of the best light-heavyweights in the sport, including Azamat Murzakanov, Carlos Ulberg and Dustin Jacoby.

Jose Ochoa (7-1) is only 24 and has shown glimpses of contender potential. He faces Cody Durden who recently went three rounds with ascending star Joshua Van this past December. Six of Ochoa’s seven pro wins have been via KO/TKO and this has the potential to be a flyweight barnburner.

CanCon: Montreal’s Charles Jourdain was unfortunately not medically cleared to compete this weekend — replaced by Cameron Smotherman as Ricky Simon’s opponent — but a Canadian fighter will be kicking off the action as Squamish, B.C.’s Jamey-Lyn Horth takes on Vanessa Demopoulos on the prelims. Horth is looking to rebound from a decision loss to Maverick in December.

Craig back at 205: Scotland’s Paul Craig is returning to the 205-pound division after a four-fight run at 185 pounds that ended in consecutive losses to Brendan Allen, Caio Borralho and Bo Nickal. Craig only has one win in the past three years, yet his best work was as a light-heavyweight, with three of his UFC wins being stoppages of former champions Jamahal Hill, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and current champion Magomed Ankalaev.

He’s an underdog against Rodolfo Bellato. The pair were initially scheduled to meet in a May Fight Night co-main, but it was cancelled shortly before both men were set to make the walk to the cage due to a medical issue with Bellato that resulted in him not being cleared to compete. So now, the UFC Apex’s loss will be the Atlanta crowd’s gain.

Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Usman vs. Buckley also features an intriguing middleweight contest between Edmen Shahbazyan and Andre Petroski, plus a welterweight pairing between past winners of The Ultimate Fighter, Michael Chiesa and Court McGee, both of whom are nearing the end of their careers, so it could be the final time fight fans see one or both of them compete.

Projected bout order for UFC Atlanta below:

— Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley

— Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick

— Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski

— Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos

— Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Cody Brundage

— Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy

— Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato

— Michael Chiesa vs. Court McGee

— Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Kris Moutinho

— Cody Durden vs. Jose Ochoa

— Ricky Simon vs. Cameron Smotherman

— Philip Rowe vs. Ange Loosa

— Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Vanessa Demopoulos