The former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman snapped a near four-year winless run with a commanding unanimous decision victory over American Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Sunday, June 15, 2025. The event took place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dubbed ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, Usman relied on his world-class grappling and fight IQ to neutralize Buckley’s striking threat, earning the nod from all three judges with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47.
“It feels good. It’s been a while,” said Usman in his post-fight remarks. “I needed to get that monkey off my back… I know I’m still able to do this at the highest level.”
The 37-year-old former champ last tasted victory in 2021, with a string of setbacks—including losing his belt to Leon Edwards in 2022—casting doubt over his future in the division.
But against Buckley, Usman reminded fans and critics alike of his pedigree, executing takedowns in each of the first four rounds and maintaining dominant top control to stifle his opponent’s offense.
While Buckley never appeared in serious danger of being stopped, he was largely shut down over five rounds by Usman’s tactical wrestling and positional awareness.
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In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas showed her class with a composed performance against Miranda Maverick, earning a clean sweep on two of the judges’ cards (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in a women’s flyweight bout.
Elsewhere, middleweight contenders Edmen Shahbazyan and Mansur Abdul-Malik both picked up wins, with Shahbazyan stopping Andre Petroski and Abdul-Malik earning a unanimous technical decision over Cody Brundage.
In the bantamweight division, Raoni Barcelos outpointed former champion Cody Garbrandt in a disciplined performance, while Alonzo Menifield secured a unanimous decision win over Oumar Sy at light heavyweight.
The UFC continues its international calendar next weekend with another Fight Night card slated for Saturday, June 21, at the Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan. Former light heavyweight contenders Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. are set to headline the event.