The Octagon returned to Georgia for UFC Atlanta, and four fighters walked away with performance bonuses.
The card was headlined by a welterweight clash between former champion Kamaru Usman and surging contender Joaquin Buckley. It turned out to be a dominant showing for Usman. Although Buckley managed to stuff a few takedowns and landed some heavy shots in the final round, it was far too little, far too late for ‘New Mansa.’ Usman controlled the fight from top position, punishing Buckley over the course of the opening four rounds. After 25 minutes, there was no doubt he had done more than enough to earn his first win since 2021.The fighters each earned $50k for their hard fought battle
This marks the second Fight of the Night for Usman, who previously earned the bonus in his first meeting with Colby Covington at UFC 245. Buckley picked up his first Fight of the Night bonus here but already held five Performance of the Night bonuses prior to this matchup.
Malcolm Wellmaker also snagged a 50k for his vicious second-round knockout of Kris Moutinho and has moved to 2-0 in the UFC with two bonuses, delivering an unforgettable one-punch finish that silenced the crowd and flattened Moutinho.
Jose Ochoa bounced back from a rough debut by putting Durden away just 11 seconds into the second round. His performance earned him a $50k bonus and it marked his first UFC win in violent fashion.
