A former welterweight champion takes on a surging contender in Atlanta this Sunday.
Both Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley have eyes for Jack Della’s shiny, gold belt and can take a step towards that ultimate goal with a victory in Georgia.
Another former UFC champion Rose Namajunas is attempting to climb the mountain once more and she takes on Miranda Maverick in the co main event.
All my thoughts and betting plays can be found below.
Kamaru Usman vs Joaquin Buckley
There are a couple of trains of thought when it comes to former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman so let me touch on them.
He’s one of the most dominant welterweight champions we have seen, putting together 19 straight wins and five defences of the belt.
He dominated Leon Edwards through four rounds only to be knocked out in the final moments of their first fight and then lost a close decision where one of the judges scored it a draw.
After those two defeats he goes up to Middleweight to take on one of the most devastating men in the UFC in Khamzat Chimaev and loses another close decision.
The other point of view is, in hindsight, his title run lacked quality and included only three men, two of which didn’t deserve a rematch.
Tyron Woodley, Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns have a combined record of 5-14 after fighting Usman the first time.
Buckley is a man on the rise and comes into this fight on a five fight winning streak that includes knockout wins over Vicente Luque, Wonderboy Thompson and Colby Covington.
The first of those two fighters Usman did not face during his winning streak.
I have this contest as a coin flip and for that reason I have to have a little something on the former champion.
1 Unit Kamaru Usman @ $3.10
Rose Namajunas vs Miranda Maverick
A two-time UFC strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas is now 2-2 in the flyweight division.
She lost her debut in the division to Manon Fiorot and her latest fight in November 2024 to Erin Blanchfield.
In between those two fights she beat Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez and is currently ranked seventh at flyweight.
Miranda Maverick has climbed to 11 in the rankings thanks to four straight wins and she has 15 wins from 20 professional MMA fights having made her debut in 2016.
It’s tough to see either of these women getting a finish and Rose has the ability to use her distance well and score points with her pace as she has in the past.
She’s now an experienced campaigner in the sport and I’m tipping that will make the difference.
2 Units Rose Namajunas To Win By Decision @ $1.70
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Andre Petroski
It has been an inconsistent UFC ride for Edmen Shahbazyan but there can be no knocking the quality of opponents he has faced throughout his career.
He has just three wins in his last eight fights but Derek Brunson, Jack Hermannson and Gerald Meerschardt are not easy guys to fight.
Andre Petrovski has only three losses on his record from 16 professional MMA fights since 2018.
He has won his last three consecutive fights by decision but eight of his 13 wins have been by KO/TKO or submission.
Taking this fight to the canvas will be his best pathway to victory in my opinion as he has a grappling advantage and will help him avoid the danger that lurks in the hands of Shahbazyan.
This is one of the most intriguing fights on the entire card and I’m predicting one of these men can get a finish.
1 Unit Fight Does Not Go The Distance @ $1.42