UFC Fight Night Prediction: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley

The UFC hits Atlanta, Georgia for the upcoming Fight Night event, which will be headlined by a former champion in Kamaru Usman. The Nigerian Nightmare is going up against one of the hottest new contenders in the organization, Joaquin Buckley, who has become known for his flashy knockouts and very dangerous fight style.

Also on the card, in the co-main event, we have another former champion when Rose Namajunas battles Miranda Maverick, while Cody Garbrandt looks to get back into contention with a bout versus Raoni Barcelos. Let’s break down everything that we can and get you ready for these fights.

Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley Prediction

You won’t be surprised to learn that the lines currently favour Joaquin Buckley for his Welterweight against Kamaru Usman. Even though Kamaru has been a dominant champion for so long, he is getting a bit long in the tooth and at 38 years of age can’t perform as he used to. Also, he is currently on a three-fight losing streak, where he even lost via a vicious head kick knockout against Leon Edwards.

Buckley is younger, more agile, and is on a six-fight win streak. Something that I would have never thought was possible, especially after him dropping two in a row and even being knocked out by Chris Curtis. But the New Mansa proved me and everybody else wrong. He came back with wins over guys like Vicente Luque (TKO), Nursulton Ruziboev (Decision), and Stephen Thompson (KO).

But most importantly, he defeated Colby Covington. Granted, it was via doctor stoppage, but it was his biggest win to date. Now he is looking for an even bigger win against Usman.

I honestly don’t like seeing when great fighters go on a decline and start racking up losses just to get back to the old days. It is where I think Usman is at, and I can’t see it playing any other way than him being defeated once again. Yes, Kamaru was winning most of those fights where he lost. But he got caught (Edwards) and outworked (Chimaev).

Buckley is strong and should be able to endure all the wrestling attacks that Kamaru can muster. More so, he has improved leaps and bounds on the feet and might have an advantage over Usman there. So I also am going for Buckley to win here, and am bold enough to say that New Manse even gets a new knockout win.

Rest of the Card

Compared to some previous Fight Night cards that we had this year, this one looks a bit improved. The Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick co-main fight is something to look forward to, as well as seeing Cody Garbrandt get back in the cage.

Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick

Rose Namajunas is a former UFC Flyweight champion, but after losing the title, she decided to move up to the Strawweight division. Honestly, it didn’t work out for her as well as she had planned, with a record of 2-2 and being defeated by main contenders like Manon Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield.

Now she gets a chance to improve by facing the 11th-ranked Miranda Maverick. However, Miranda is not an easy ticket by any means. She is on a four-fight win streak with her last win coming against Jamey-Lyn Horth via decision. 

While Rose is still the favourite in this one, she has to go out there and prove it. Maverick has an advantage on the feet and is significantly stronger than Namajunas. While Thug Rose definitely has the grappling advantage on her side, I think that that is not going to be enough for her to actually win the fight. So I am going for an upset here, and Miranda Maverick to win via decision.

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski

The Golden Boy, Edmen Shahbazyan, was one of the most promising Middleweight contenders before his stock plummeted after his first-ever career loss to Derek Brunson. Since then, he is 3-5 and has bounced back recently with a TKO win against Dylan Budka.

On the other hand, Petroski is on a three-fight win streak. He has successfully rebounded from two back-to-back losses, which was something he experienced for the first time in his career. His most notable win was his last, against Rodolfo Vieira, and all three of his most recent wins came via decision.

As far as this fight goes, even though Shahbazyan is the favourite, I would prefer to give the nod to Petroski. He is a much better BJJ practitioner and wrestler than Edmen. Also, Shahbazyan has struggled against high-level grapplers and has lost every fight when engaged in heavy-wrestling affairs. Petroski should try to bring the fight to the ground as fast as possible, where he can do all of his work. I don’t see this ending up with a stoppage, though. So, Petroski for a decision win.

Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos

Cody Garbrandt is a shadow of himself ever since he lost his Bantamweight title to T.J. Dillashaw. He was able to show some flashes of brilliance since then, I am of course referring to him taking the head of Raphael Assuncao with a single punch, but has recently amassed a record of 3-3. He did strung two wins in a row, but was ultimately submitted by Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300 via rear-naked choke.

He will be going up against a sturdy veteran in Raoni Barcelos. Even though he is 39, he managed to get two wins in a row, including a surprise win versus highly touted prospect Payton Talbott. This win gives him a lot of leverage and places him in an excellent position in this fight. 

Both fighters can stand and bang. Barcelos may not be known for his power and stoppage abilities, but he is as sturdy as it gets. He has been KOed only once, against Kai Kara-France, so Garbrandt can’t really count on landing that one game-changing punch to win this one.

I would give the advantage to Raoni Barcelos here, as he is on the come-up. Even though Cody has fight-ending abilities, I don’t see that happening for him against Raoni. I am picking Barcelos to win this one, but via decision.

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