Kamaru Usman returned to the Octagon for the first time in 20 months and registered his first victory in over three years on Saturday, defeating Joaquin Buckley in the main event of the UFC’s return to State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
The former welterweight champion dominated the opening stanza, putting Buckley on the canvas with ease and punishing him from top position. Usman needed just one takedown in each of the next three rounds to put his ascending adversary on the ground and keep him there, grinding time off the clock and neutralizing Buckley for long stretches. While “New Mansa” got the better of things in the final round, he wasn’t able to find the blow he needed to end things, resulting in Usman garnering a clean sweep of the scorecards.
This was Usman’s first win since defeating Colby Covington to close out UFC 268, and it answered a lot of questions about where “The Nigerian Nightmare” stands in the loaded welterweight ranks.
Buckley entered the contest a perfect 6-0 since moving to welterweight, and Usman shut him down with relative ease. Currently stationed at No. 5 in the rankings, this is the kind of victory that ensures that Usman be included in the major plans for the competitors chasing a championship opportunity in the 170-pound ranks in the second half of the year.
While Usman has spoken about facing the winner of the presumed bout between new champ Jack Della Maddalena and ex-lightweight ruler Islam Makhachev, grinding out Buckley may not be enough to punch that specific ticket, but what about a date with former champ Belal Muhammad whom he has tensions with?
Or Ian Machado Garry? Sean Brady?
The options in the welterweight division are plentiful, and Usman should land someone established after righting the ship on Saturday.
Rose Namajunas got the better of Miranda Maverick in the co-main event at State Farm Arena, out-working her occasional training partner in a competitive bout where the former strawweight champion showed her mettle while proving she’s still a part of the conversation in the 125-pound weight class.
Namajunas was sharp throughout, having a little more success than Maverick in the striking exchanges while also showcasing more grappling than she’s displayed in recent outings. While she was stuck in a tight choke at the close of the second round, “Thug Rose” was dialled in for Round 3, clipping Maverick and controlling things on the ground the rest of the way en route to garnering the unanimous decision victory.
While a number of flyweights made their respective cases for where they stand in the division last month, Namajunas’ quality win over the streaking Maverick ensures that she has to be considered when booking things out for the back half of the year. Though she’s lost to elite contenders Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot, there are several other up-and-coming talents that would make intriguing dance partners for the two-time titleholder, including Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius.
However things shake out and whomever she’s booked with, an exciting fight should be in Namajunas’ future.
Ascending talents shine in “The A”
Domestic Fight Night events are often an opportunity for the UFC to showcase some of the promising up-and-comers on the roster, and Saturday was in Atlanta was no different as a series of serious talents hit the Octagon and showed out.
Recent Dana White’s Contender Series grad Mansur Abdul-Malik maintained his unbeaten record on the main card, earning a technical decision win over Cody Brundage after it was determined that the fight-ending sequence began with an accidental clash of heads. While not the way he wanted the bout to end, it was still a good learning experience and another positive step forward for the 27-year-old Xtreme Couture product.
Georgia native Malcolm Wellmaker continued making immediate waves in his rookie year, collecting his second knockout win in a couple of months by flatlining Kris Moutinho in the centre of the Octagon. The 31-year-old has serious power in his hands and bushels of confidence, and could very well get an expedited opportunity in the bantamweight division after consecutive blistering finishes.
Flyweight Jose Ochoa kicked off the strong night of effort from the emerging set, stopping veteran Cody Durden seconds into the second round. After a good showing against Lone’er Kavanagh in a losing effort in his debut, this was a statement effort for the Chute Boxe Diego Lima representative who is only 24 years old and brandishing heaps of upside.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the emerging set though, as French light heavyweight Oumar Sy was bounced from the ranks of the unbeaten, dropping a unanimous decision to divisional mainstay Alonzo Menifield in the main card opening.
How to adjudicate fouls in MMA is a constantly discussed topic with no clear, obvious answers or approaches. Right now, it’s mostly a feel thing, shifting with each commission and dependent on the official in the Octagon. Saturday night’s final preliminary card bout between Rodolfo Bellato and Paul Craig offered up another discussion point, as the bout was declared a no contest following an accidental illegal kick rendered the Brazilian unable to continue.
With Bellato on his knees trying to pass Craig’s guard and land some ground-and-pound, the Scotsman kicked his foe directly in the face, sending him teetering backwards. Referee Kevin MacDonald instantly jumped in to pause the action, at which point Bellato came to, started scooting back to the fence before he tried to engage MacDonald when he came forward to check on him.
The bout was halted and ruled a no contest, as the blow was deemed accidental.
This is one of those outcomes that never really makes sense because accidental or not, it’s an illegal blow that halted the action, and unlike a low blow that can occur in various different ways, for various different reasons, this was the one foul you cannot commit when you’re on your back, defending against someone looking to work in your guard, and it ended the bout.
It’s not that Craig was acting maliciously or even recklessly; that’s not the point. Athletes are aware of the rules, are reminded of them ahead of each contest, and have to be in control of their weapons, and Craig was not in this case.
Though it wasn’t intentional, it was still an illegal blow that ended the fight, and that feels like a spot where the person that got kicked in the face is getting a raw deal when the bout is deemed a no contest.
Nice win for Edmen Shahbazyan on Saturday’s main card, as the former rising star swept the scorecards in his pairing with Andre Petroski. The 27-year-old showed more poise while picking his spots and mixing his weapons, keeping Petroski outside for the majority of the fight to register his second straight win.
Raoni Barcelos scored his second win of the year, edging out former champ Cody Garbrandt to push his winning streak to three straight overall. The 38-year-old has lived on the fringes of the top 15 for years, and called for a date with Rob Font after the victory, which would be a very interesting matchup if it were to come together.
Veteran Michael Chiesa pushed his winning streak to three with a gritty decision win over fellow TUF winner Court McGee. “Maverick” used his lateral movement and long-range weapons to get the better of the exchanges, keeping things moving in a positive direction after registering back-to-back submission wins in his two previous outings.
Phil Rowe showed how to chase down a much-needed finish in his welterweight tussle with Ange Loosa on Saturday’s prelims. Down two rounds heading to the third, “The Fresh Prince” avoided getting stuck on the canvas early and then let go with his hands, sending Loosa’s gumshield flying before pouring on the offence and earning the stoppage.
Canadian Jamey-Lyn Horth kicked off the card with a dominant win over Vanessa Demopoulos that sets her up for a quality homecoming assignment in Vancouver later this year. The Squamish, B.C. product was the bigger, stronger, more effective fighter throughout, earning a clean sweep of the scorecards to move to 3-2 in the UFC and 8-2 overall.
