UFC® RETURNS TO ATLANTA WITH PIVOTAL BOUT BETWEEN WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDERS (#4) KAMARU USMAN AND (#6) JOAQUIN BUCKLEY

Las Vegas – UFC® returns to Atlanta with a thrilling welterweight bout that sees former champion and current No. 4 ranked contender Kamaru Usman battle surging No. 6 Joaquin Buckley. Also, former strawweight champion and No. 6 ranked flyweight contender Rose Namajunas takes on No. 12 Miranda Maverick.

UFC® FIGHT NIGHT: USMAN vs. BUCKLEY takes place Sat., June 14 at State Farm Arena. The entire card will be available in English and Spanish on ESPN+, starting with the prelims at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The main card will also air on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, kicking off at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

UFC® FIGHT NIGHT: USMAN vs. BUCKLEY tickets will go on sale Fri., May 2 at 10 a.m. ET and are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wed., April 30 at 10 a.m. ET via the website UFCFightClub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thurs., May 1 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Usman (20-4, fighting out of Denver, Colo. by way of Auchi, Nigeria) returns with the intention of  delivering a statement performance. A dominant champion for over three years, he holds knockout victories over Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns. Usman now intends to kick off his 2025 campaign by beginning his ascent back to world title contention.

Buckley (21-6, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) plans to continue his momentum by adding a decorated former champion to his resume. A dynamic striker and KO artist, he has earned thrilling finishes against Colby Covington, Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque. Buckley now hopes to secure his seventh consecutive win to stake his claim for a championship opportunity.

Namajunas (14-7, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) intends to deliver a highlight-reel finish in her first outing of 2025. A two-time former world champion, she has netted spectacular victories over Zhang Weili, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade. Namajunas now has her sights set on defending her spot in the rankings by turning away another rising contender.

Maverick (17-5, fighting out of Denver, Colo. by way of Buffalo, Mo.) plans to extend her win streak by taking out her first former UFC titleholder. Victorious in her last four Octagon appearances, she holds notable wins against Andrea Lee, Priscila Cachoeira and Gillian Robertson. Maverick now looks to turn heads by finishing Namajunas to continue her climb up the flyweight rankings.

Additional bouts on the card include:

  • Michael Chiesa (20-7, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash.) takes on Court McGee (23-13, fighting out of Orem, Utah) in a clash of welterweight veterans
  • Undefeated Mansur Abdul-Malik (8-0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) looks to keep his 100 percent finish rate intact when he meets gritty Cody Brundage (11-6 1NC, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.) at middleweight
  • Tereza Bleda (7-1, fighting out of Prague, Czech Republic) faces Jamey-Lyn Horth (7-2, fighting out of Squamish, B.C., Canada) in a flyweight tilt
  • Edmen Shahbazyan (14-5, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) squares off with Andre Petroski (13-4, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) at middleweight
  • Georgia’s own Cody Durden (17-7-1, fighting out of Covington, Ga.) locks horns with Jose Ochoa (7-1 1NC, fighting out of Moyobamba, Peru) in a flyweight bout
  • No. 14 ranked light heavyweight contender Alonzo Menifield (16-5-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) collides with undefeated Oumar Sy (11-0, fighting out of Paris, France) 

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit UFC.com. All bouts are live and subject to change. Please click?here?to apply for credentials to the event.

###

About UFC®

UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and approximately 266 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 900 million households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.

About State Farm Arena

Home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, the award-winning State Farm Arena is a next-generation sports and live entertainment venue focused on experience, sustainability, and service. Inspired by the city, State Farm Arena showcases the core values of the organization: inclusiveness, authenticity, and innovation. From the first ever in-arena barbershop with the Killer Mike SWAG Shop to the Hawk Bar on the court behind the basket to the concourse to the Topgolf Swing Suites, State Farm Arena is True to Atlanta. Community and sustainability are at the core as the arena hosts the largest annual food distribution event with the Million Meal Pack and the arena was also the first venue in the world to earn TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) Platinum certification for zero waste. State Farm Arena was recently named Best Venue by Front Office Sports, a leading multi-platform media and news organization, and consistently ranks among the top 10 concert and event venues in the world from industry-leading publications Pollstar and Billboard. Accessible to every fan with a MARTA station adjacent, the downtown Atlanta arena hosts approximately 175 events and close to 2 million guests annually and stakes its claim as the city’s best sports and live entertainment venue. For more information on State Farm Arena, visit StateFarmArena.com or follow on X @StateFarmArena and Instagram @StateFarmArena.

About ESPN+ 

https://espnpressroom.com/us/espnplus

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading multiplatform sports entertainment brand, features eight U.S. television networks, the leading sports app, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, leading social and digital platforms, ESPN.com, ESPN Audio, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.