Usman Dominates Buckley, declares that he is back. In the UFC fight night, he controlled the pace, landed takedowns and ground control. Last night in Atlanta, fight fans packed into State Farm Arena for a highly anticipated clash between former UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman and the always-explosive Joaquin Buckley.
The Fight night delivered some thrilling and impressive fights. The tournament took place at State Farm Arena Atlanta, Georgia . With main event featuring former UFC Welterweight Champion Usman and Joaguin Buckley.
Kamaru Usman, the former UFC Welterweight champion returns to the Octagon. This marks Usman’s first fight in the 170-pound division since losing a trilogy bout to Leon Edwards in March 2023. He had an opportunity to face No. 1 welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, but he withdrew at the last minute, saying the date was too soon for him and he would not be prepared enough for the battle.
Just before now Buckley the welterweight fighter who had his impressive win at UFC 307 felt it was time to take on a bigger opponent and called out former champion Kamaru Usman. But the former champion doesn’t seem to think much of him and basically told him to wait for his turn.
Both fighters stepped into the cage with something to prove. From the opening bell, it was clear this wasn’t going to be just another fight. No glove touch here—both fighters came out all business, the energy, and the intent made it a showdown worth every bit of the hype.
Things started tense. Both men threw early, but nothing really landed. Then boom—Usman scores a super smooth takedown with barely any effort. Usman stayed heavy on top, mixing in a few punches and just wearing Buckley down. Not a ton of striking, but absolute control. Buckley’s right eye started to swell as Usman landed some heavy shots to close the round. Buckley was on the ground throughout the first round. First round was a dominance performance for Usman.
Round two came and Buckley started the round strong with a solid left hand. Usman fainted a takedown and got a huge reaction from Buckley, who then missed a flying knee and rushed in with a flurry that didn’t connect.
Then Usman, from what felt like halfway across the cage, shoots and scores another easy takedown. yet again, he puts Buckley back to ground and pinned on the cage. Buckley had no answers. Late in the round, Usman moved into full mount and landed some shots before the horn. Pure dominance through two.
During round three Buckley charged in, clipped Usman lightly, and started finding a little success when he kept busy. He landed a nice uppercut that seemed to bother Usman a bit, followed by a clean left hand after ducking a hook. But then—like clockwork—Usman grabbed a leg and took Buckley down again. The control was undeniable. Buckley looked frustrated, and Usman capped the round with some ground-and-pound from mount.
Buckley with another tear in his eyes due to the punches landed on him looks defeated already but kept going and then fourth round came with Usman hitting another double leg takedown with ease.
Round five was an opportunity for Buckley to prove Usman wrong and make things right, this time he came all energetic. He came out switching stances, but wasn’t firing much. Usman went for a single, then a double, but this time Buckley stuffed them both. Finally some defensive success. Usman still landed a stiff jab, but Buckley made him pay on the next shot with a clean punch.
The tide was shifting—Buckley landed a couple big combos and pushed Usman back against the cage. The crowd got loud. In the final minute, Buckley let his hands fly, landing a few more big shots. He definitely took the last round, but it was too little, too late . Kamaru Usman Dominates him via unanimous decision. This was an excellent performance from Usman that made everyone agree that he’s back.
“It feels good,” Usman said about the win.
“It’s been a while, I needed to get that monkey off my back. I know I’m still able to do this at the highest level. Sometimes when you’re going up against a young, hungry guy like that, very talented, very aggressive, you’ve got to pull out the skills and use the experience. That’s what I did tonight.”
“I expected him to be really, really tough, which he was. I know what it takes to work and get up in here. Thank you to him for bringing everything that he brought.”
