The UFC returned to Atlanta for the first time in six years this past Saturday night, hosting a Fight Night card that brought out plenty of names and some noteworthy performances.
The last time the UFC was in Atlanta was for UFC 236, which featured two title fights that have connections to even upcoming UFC events. The main event of that night saw Dustin Poirier defeat Max Holloway in their second encounter to become interim UFC lightweight champion. Those two will face off one more time in Poirier's retirement fight next month at UFC 318. The co-main event, meanwhile, saw a wild encounter in which Israel Adesanya defeated Kelvin Gastelum to become interim UFC middleweight champion. That fight will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in just a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, last night's UFC Atlanta saw quite a few fights where a rising up-and-comer looked to make a statement against a known name.
In the main event, Kamaru Usman returned to the Octagon for the first time in nearly two years to take on Joaquin Buckley. Usman had not been seen since his UFC 280 loss to Khamzat Chimaev -- a fight that marked Usman's third straight defeat since dropping the welterweight title to Leon Edwards. Buckley, meanwhile, was riding a six-fight win streak, having most recently finished Usman's old rival, Colby Covington, in December.
The co-main event saw Rose Namajunas look to keep positive momentum in the flyweight division against rising star Miranda Maverick. Namajunas entered the fight just 2-2 since moving to 125, having dropped a decision to Erin Blanchfield this past November. Maverick, meanwhile, was on a four-fight win streak and had won six of her previous seven bouts.
Who came out strong? Who didn't? Let's go into it together with this week's edition of Hits and Misses.
Hit: Fun-Filled Finishes On Prelims
UFC Atlanta's main card may have had the star power; however, it was the prelims that had the big finishes -- and was arguably the more entertaining portion of the evening.
It all began with Phil Rowe going down two rounds against Ange Loosa. Loosa was in fairly dominant control over the bout's first 10 minutes, even scoring a knockdown on Rowe at the conclusion of a wild second round. But in the third, things changed quickly. Rowe managed to get his combinations going, bringing the pressure right to Loosa, who appeared to be struggling. Rowe managed to land blow after blow, including a series of uppercuts, before a right hand crumbled Loosa to the mat for the finish.
It was a wild outing for "The Fresh Prince," who is now 4-3 in the Octagon since coming into the UFC through Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS). He not only avoids a three-fight skid and arguable retained his job, but it was the kind of performance that's sure to leave a lasting impression on fans and brass alike.
Then came a violent knockout Jose Ochoa had on Cody Durden and a walk-off KO for Malcolm Wellmaker against Kris Moutinho. It was a pair of violent displays that really got the card on fire -- and three finishes in a four-fight span that wet the appetite of Atlanta's UFC faithful in attendance.
Hit: Watch Out For Wellmaker
I know I just mentioned Malcolm Wellmaker in the entry about the card's finishes, but he deserves a second hit for the impact he left in the Octagon -- both on this evening and thus far in his UFC run.
Taking on a returning Kris Moutinho, Wellmaker pushed the pace against someone who likes to bring pressure and get into striking battles. No matter what Moutinho tried to deliver, Wellmaker was just too strong and too accurate.
Wellmaker landed a right hand in the center of the Octagon that knocked out Moutinho, bringing the crowd to its feet. In fact, for a second straight fight, Wellmaker walked away from the fight as the referee waved it all off.
"The Machine" had made his UFC debut less than two months ago, when he stopped Cameron Saaiman -- and that was after he knocked out Adam Bramhald on DWCS.
I know he's only two fights in, but we need to keep serious eyes on Wellmaker. He deserves recognition for what he's done thus far, and another one of these performances will just quickly rise his star that is starting to shine.
Miss: Another Inconclusive Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato Ending...And Is It An Act?
After Rodolfo Bellato's herpes diagnosis forced him out of a fight with Paul Craig just weeks ago, you'd think a quick re-booking would help to solve the issue of which man is the better fighter, right?
Well, UFC Atlanta didn't provide that -- and it was a fight that left a really bitter taste in fans' mouths.
The two men threw their power right away, and after rocking Craig, Bellato took him down and got into a dominant top control. But it was the end of that first round that brought the trouble.
Craig landed an upkick that appeared to knock out Bellato; however, with Bellato's knees still grounded, the kick was an illegal one. And when Bellato appeared to be out of it, attempting to take down the ref upon waking the up, the referee decided to stop the fight and rule it a no-contest.
When looking at the finish, however, it appeared Bellato looked toward the ref, ready to dispute before flopping to the mat. MMA X (fka Twitter) has called him out on it. Anthony Smith has called him out on it. And it appears to be that many are in agreement Bellato looked for the easy way out.
To be blunt, we'll see if Bellato has a job after this one. I'm sure Dana White and the rest of the UFC brass won't be happy with his actions and how his performance is being called out on. If he does, will we have to see a third booking between this pair?
Miss: Mansur Abdul-Malik Loses Finish On Accidental Headbutt
It's bad when a foul causes the end of a fight once. Unfortunately, it happed just a couple of fights later at UFC Atlanta -- and this one cost a fighter a strong finish.
The second fight of the main card saw Mansur Abdul-Malik take on Cody Brundage. The fight was very lackluster to start, with both fighters not taking much control in the first 10 minutes -- albeit with Abdul-Malik busting Brundage open behind one of his ears.
But the two let their hands go to start the third -- a round where Brundage appeared to go down in pain, covering up, after a big knee to the body by Abdul-Malik. But just as we thought Abdul-Malik got a third-round finish, fight replay showed an accidental headbutt that triggered Brundage's pain and crumbling to the mat.
Due to the foul causing the finish, overruling the ref, and with the fight in the third round, the fight went to a technical decision. Abdul-Malik still won the fight, but it marked the first time the judges' cards played a role in the victory.
It was a disappointing fight that saw a great finish ruined by an unfortunate foul. Hopefully Abdul-Malik can still carry this momentum into his next outing.
Miss: Changes Do Cody Garbrandt No Good
There was once a time where Cody Garbrandt was undefeated and on top of the bantamweight world as the UFC champion. Those days are long gone, however, and Garbrandt finds himself in quite the position after losing at UFC Atlanta against Raoni Barcelos.
Garbrandt looked to showcase a vintage performance in the opening round, with speedy crisp strikes that stunned and opened up Barcelos. Barcelos had his moments, however, briefly taking Garbrandt down and busting the former champ open around one of his eyebrows.
Barcelos, however, took over during the remaining 10 minutes. Barcelos landed clean, strong combinations, led by his right hand, which rocked Garbrandt during the round. Barcelos continued his pressure-based offense in the third, stopping Garbrandt's takedown attempts and working smartly with his strength and precision.
Garbrandt has only once per year since losing the bantamweight title with the exception of 2021 -- and even then, he didn't fight at all in 2022. In that time, he has gone from an 11-0 fighter that won the UFC's 135-pound strap to a 14-7 fighter whose future is uncertain. Obviously he's had to overcome injuries and health scares -- and his health should be priority -- but his standing as a fighter should still be in question at this point given his skid.
Even after supposed changes in his fight camp, Garbrandt is in a bad position.
Hit: Rose Namajunas Continues To Fly, Puts On War With Miranda Maverick
Could Rose Namajunas be in contention for a flyweight title opportunity? She may have showed how she definitely belongs at the top of 125 contention with her decision win over Miranda Maverick in the UFC Atlanta co-main event.
The two did plenty of trading for a wild back-and-forth encounter over 15 minutes. Namajunas seemed to get the better of things during the first round; however, Maverick did get her to stumble on her own attack. Namajunas got Maverick to the ground during the second and worked around Maverick's guard to get to her back, troubling her with ground strikes and a strong-rear naked choke attempt. Credit needs to given to Maverick, however, for slipping out and locking up a tight arm-triangle in the dying seconds of the round.
"Thug Rose" scored a knockdown in the third round and controlled from there, going on to win a unanimous decision.
Namajunas is now 3-2 at 125 -- and her only losses have come against former title challengers in Manon Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield. She definitely won't be getting the next title opportunity, especially if the UFC goes for a fight between Weili Zhang and Valentina Shevchenko, but one or two more wins may nail Namajunas with a chance at gold in a second UFC weight class.
Hit: Usman's Back, 'Nuff Said
Those who wrote Kamaru Usman's grave during the time away from the cage may have been sorely mistaken.
Usman looked like his old self against Joaquin Buckley, putting on a dominant display filled with takedowns, wrestling, and powerful strikes in the main event of UFC Atlanta.
Though the live crowd didn't appreciate it as much, Usman used what made him so successful and a UFC champion in the first place -- his dominant wrestling skills. Usman used it in style -- once he got Buckley down during the first three rounds, Buckley stayed there. Usman added his powerful ground strikes, including busting Buckley openly badly on his face during the second round.
Buckley appeared to storm back in the fifth, however, dodging all of Usman's takedown attempts and looking to land wild, powerful strikes for a Leon Edwards-style, last-minute finish. Alas, he didn't find it, and Usman won a dominant decision.
It was his first win in three fights; his most recent win prior to this fight came when he defeated Colby Covington at UFC 281 to retain the welterweight title. Now it'll be interesting to see what happens if Usman gets paired with someone in the top three like Belal Muhammad, Sean Brady or Shavkat Rakhmonov. Usman and Muhammad, in fact, have already traded barbs recently -- and if Usman won that, perhaps he could get another opportunity to regain the belt he once had.