Latest news with #UFCAtlanta
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for June: A record-setting UFC flyweight war
That will do it 🤯What a win for Philip Rowe! #UFCAtlanta With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from June 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month award for June. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice. Nominee: Phil Rowe def. Ange Loosa at UFC on ESPN 69 For nearly 90 seconds, Ange Loosa's (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) mouthpiece laid on the canvas, and in about that same time, Phil Rowe (11-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) started to mount a comeback in the welterweight bout. With less than a minute left in the fight, Rowe put Loosa away with a vicious TKO that easily could have been stopped sooner by referee Brent McKeehan, and finally was when Loosa collapsed to the canvas. Nominee: Tagir Ulanbekov def. Azat Maksum at UFC on ABC 8 Tagir Ulanbekov (17-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) showed again that he is an emerging threat in the flyweight division with a entertaining win over Azat Maksum (15-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC). Ulanbekov extended his winning streak to four fights by being a step ahead of Maksum throughout the 15-minute affair, ultimately leaving with the unanimous decision nod. A post shared by 🇰🇿OMG (@qazomg) Nominee: JunYong Park def. Ismail Naurdiev at UFC on ABC 8 JunYong Park got one of the wilder decision wins in middleweight history when he claimed the win after Ismail Naurdiev was deducted two points for an illegal blow. With Naurdiev finding success early, he threw an illegal knee that cut Park open and nearly stopped the fight. Park battled on after the two-point deduction and rallied back to dominantly defeat Naurdiev with one ultra-rare 29-25 scorecard. A post shared by Combat Buzz (@combatbuzz) Nominee: Nazim Sadykhov def. Nikolas Motta at UFC on ABC 8 Azerbaijan's Nazim Sadykhov (11-1-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC) sent the Baku crowd into a frenzy when, after a back-and-forth war for nearly two rounds, he blasted and dropped a bloodied Nikolas Motta (15-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) for the TKO finish. Both men were hurt and on the ropes throughout the just over nine minutes of chaotic action. Sadykhov was the winner, both men were rewarded as each got $100,000 in bonus money for Fight of the Night and an individual Performance of the Night award. NAZIM SADYKOV GETS THE KO AFTER AN EPIC FIGHT AT #UFCBAKU 💥 🇦🇿 The winner: Joshua Van def. Brandon Royval at UFC 317 If it wasn't already apparent that he's elite, Joshua Van (15-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) proved that Saturday at UFC 317 when he defeated Brandon Royval (17-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in an elite flyweight featured fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Van's power and timing proved the difference. In Round 1, he out-timed Royval in the exchanges and appeared to land the more effective shots. Although Rovval came on strong in Round 3, Van dug deeped and out-dogged "Raw Dawg." In the final moments of the bout, Van may have stole the fight on the judges' scorecards as he badly stunned and dropped Royval. Though the buzzer saved Royval, he was still wobbly when he got up the shake hands with Van after the horn. The bout was one of the year's best by many accounts. Van and Royval showed off elite technical abilities, but also provided exciting levels of violence. Prior to the bout, Dana White said the winner of the bout would be next for flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, and Van faced off with him in the octagon that same night. Cast Your Vote!
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From the Vault: Shepherd outduels icons to win 1986 Atlanta race
Malcolm Wellmaker breaks down his brutal KO at UFC Atlanta Malcolm Wellmaker, surging UFC bantamweight contender, joins after his devastating win over Kris Moutinho and gets into his KO streak, fighting in Atlanta, his childhood and early career, quitting his job as a pipefitter, and more. 2:19 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kamaru Usman Wants Dricus Du Plessis in Historic Africa vs. Africa Showdown
Kamaru Usman Wants Dricus Du Plessis in Historic Africa vs. Africa Showdown originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Dricus Du Plessis is back in the gym, locked in and laser-focused as he preps for his headline war against the ever-dangerous Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 this August. The South African warrior isn't just tuning up for another bout — he's igniting waves across the division. Whispers are already circulating after a standout from UFC Atlanta made it clear: he's watching, he's waiting, and he wants next. Advertisement Kamaru Usman, the 'Nigerian Nightmare,' reminded everyone why his name still carries weight. At UFC Atlanta, he turned back the clock with a commanding unanimous decision over Joaquin Buckley. Dricus du PlessisJeff Bottari-GettyImages It wasn't just a win — it was a statement. His first victory since 2022 and a much-needed rebound after a tough skid, including his last outing against Chimaev at UFC 294. Speaking to TMZ Sports in a video that Red Corner MMA quickly amplified, Usman dropped a bombshell: 'After getting the welterweight belt, they [UFC] have asked and waited years for me to go up and get the middleweight belt. I will relinquish that if Dricus Du Plessis is still the champion — all-African card. Africa vs. Africa, first card in Africa. UFC is close to getting that done. South Africa vs. Nigeria — it's a rivalry that's been built forever.' 'If things start to fall in line, I think we're gonna see a pretty interesting next 18 months.' Dana White, never shy about global ambitions, told Sports Business Journal: 'I'm looking to go into Africa for the first time. We have a champion from South Africa… I'm looking to go everywhere, everywhere on this planet we're going to end up doing a live event.' Kamaru UsmanGetty Images A Du Plessis vs. Usman matchup? That's not just fireworks — that's a global moment in the making. Two African titans, one historic card. The world will be watching. Advertisement Related: Ben Askren: New Update Reveals Emotional Details on UFC Veteran's Ongoing Health Battle Related: UFC Abu Dhabi: Robert Whittaker Set to Face Fastest-Rising Middleweight Star in Legacy Fight This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
18-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Daniel Cormier remains high on Joaquin Buckley after UFC Atlanta loss to Kamaru Usman
Daniel Cormier remains high on Joaquin Buckley after UFC Atlanta loss to Kamaru Usman Show Caption Hide Caption Who's next for Joaquin Buckley after Kamaru Usman loss? MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Joaquin Buckley Daniel Cormier only sees positive things for Joaquin Buckley after he suffered his first loss at welterweight in the UFC. Buckley (22-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) saw his six-fight winning streak snapped when he dropped a unanimous decision to former champion Kamaru Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) in this past Saturday's UFC on ESPN 69 headliner at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Despite the loss, Cormier thinks Buckley's stock remains high. He credits him for never giving up throughout the fight after getting stifled on the ground for a good portion of it. "He's brash, he's loud, and he was annoying, but now he seems to be doing the right things," Cormier said on "Good Guy/Bad Guy" with Chael Sonnen. "And guess what? He can fight a lot, and this dude is in shape. That was probably the most impressive thing to me was that, after going through that, going through as hard of a fight as he had, and he was able to still fight at the rate that he fought. In that fifth round, that was crazy impressive to me watching Joaquin Buckley." Cormier is confident that if Buckley can fine tune his takedown defense, he'll be a major threat at 170 pounds. "I was very impressed with Joaquin Buckley," Cormier said. "And in very few cases, a guy comes out better after he loses. I feel like that's what we're looking at with Joaquin Buckley because I think he fought well. He was very brave in the fifth round, he showed that he can go 25 minutes with one of the best fighters in the world. He just looked like he belonged. ... If Joaquin Buckley can pick up a couple of those little details where he's not getting taken down, he's going to be a real problem for anyone in that weight class, and I feel like Joaquin Buckley after Saturday is honestly better off even if he lost the fight."
USA Today
17-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ricky Simon eyes eventual rematch with champ Merab Dvalishvili\u00a0after UFC Atlanta
Ricky Simon eyes eventual rematch with champ Merab Dvalishvili after UFC Atlanta Show Caption Hide Caption UFC on ESPN 69: Ricky Simon post-fight interview UFC on ESPN 69 winner Ricky Simon talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after his decision victory over Cameron Smotherman in Atlanta. ATLANTA – Ricky Simon met the media Saturday after his unanimous decision win over Cameron Smotherman at UFC on ESPN 69. Simon (22-6 MMA, (10-5 UFC) outworked Smotherman (12-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a fight largely contested in tight quarters. Simon controlled more than 9 minutes of the fight and had a pair of 30-27 scorecards in his win. Simon had to deal with a short-notice opponent change after Charles Jourdain had to drop out. "Ultimately, the goal is to be a UFC world champion – I don't really care who they throw at me," Simon told MMA Junkie at his post-fight news conference. "I don't know what their plan is, but I think there could be a lot of fights that make sense, for sure, whether it's right outside the top 15 or making that climb back in. "… I usually like to get a name and throw it out there, but with the busy week with the opponent switch-up and trying to dial in on what I wanted to do, I didn't really pay too much attention to that one." But one name on Simon's resume that stands out, without question, is that of the current bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili. Simon was involved in a unique finish with the champ more than seven years ago when he choked him unconscious as the fight ended – giving him, officially, a technical submission win literally at the 5-minute mark of the final round. A rematch, Simon thinks, would be interesting. "It's awesome to see Merab's success and how comfortable he is being the champion and being as dominant as he has been. But it just gives me all the confidence in the world, because I've fought a lot of the best guys in the world – the champ included. It keeps me true to it. I know where I belong. "The UFC wanted to make that rematch before he ever even fought for the title when I was top 10 and he was 4 or 5 or something. I don't blame him – it didn't make sense for him to fight back (in the rankings) at the time. But that would be sick (to fight him again), a full-circle moment for sure." Check out Simon's post-fight news conference in the video above.
