UFC Fight Night: Usman v Buckley (otherwise referred to as UFC on ESPN 69) is set to take place at Georgia’s State Farm Arena this weekend, marking the UFC’s first visit to Atlanta in over six years.
The keenly anticipated bout between Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley headlines Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, as both men jostle for position in a fiercely competitive welterweight division.
The two competitors have experienced contrasting fortunes in recent fights, as Buckley bids for a seventh consecutive victory while Usman aims to stop the rot of three straight defeats. Although the form guide suggests the American will comfortably come out on top, it would be naïve to write off his highly experienced opponent. Usman has emerged victorious in a staggering 20 of his 24 career MMA bouts, and has only been knocked out on one occasion. If Buckley has serious designs on becoming the UFC’s Welterweight Champion, he must dispatch the veteran Nigerian – a former long-term titleholder in this division – on Saturday evening.
While the main event has understandably received the most attention in recent weeks, a series of intriguing matchups are sure to set pulses racing at the State Farm Arena. A total of seven preliminary and five main card bouts will provide the entertainment before Usman and Buckley enter the Octagon late on, with several high-profile UFC stars in attendance.
UK viewers can watch every minute of UFC Fight Night: Usman v Buckley on TNT Sports, with live coverage commencing at 1.00am (BST) on Sunday morning.
UFC on ESPN 69 – key information
Date: Saturday 14th June
Start time: Early Preliminaries – 12.00am (BST) Preliminary Card – 1.00am (BST), Main Card – 3.00am (BST)
Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta (GA)
Referee: TBC
TV Channels: TNT Sports 1, UFC Fight Pass (preliminary bouts only)
Main Event Odds: Kamaru Usman – 23/10, Joaquin Buckley – 2/5
Odds provided by bet365
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.
Fight Card – UFC Fight Night: Usman v Buckley
We’ve provided a brief preview of the five main card bouts scheduled to take place in Georgia this weekend:
Main Event – Kamaru Usman v Joaquin Buckley
Buckley’s extraordinary winning streak dates back to May 2023, when he delivered a devastating head kick to Portuguese pugilist Andre Fialho on his UFC welterweight debut. After earning hard-fought victories over American compatriot Alex Morono, Vicente ‘The Silent Assassin’ Luque, and three-time WEF Welterweight Champion Nursulton Ruziboev, Buckley ended 2024 with two extremely impressive displays.
The first came in October, knocking out experienced scrapper Stephen Thompson midway through the third round to secure a Performance of the Night award at UFC 307. Just over two months later, the Missouri-born star defeated Colby Covington at Florida’s Amalie Arena, forcing a doctor’s stoppage just 18 seconds before the end of the third round.
After a period of hegemonic dominance over the welterweight division, Kamaru Usman’s empire quickly began to crumble following a brutal face-off with Leon Edwards. Before his first contest against the Englishman in the summer of 2022, Usman had enjoyed a sequence of five straight wins. Having wrestled the welterweight title from Tyron Woodley at UFC 235, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ defended his belt twice against bitter enemies Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal either side of a TKO triumph over Gilbert Burns.
However, back-to-back losses to Edwards preceded a third successive disappointment at UFC 294, as the 2021 Fighter of the Year lost was beaten by Khamzat Chimaev on his middleweight debut.
Can Usman return to his imperious best, or will Buckley continue on his seemingly unstoppable match towards the UFC’s welterweight crown?
Light-Heavyweight Division: Alonzo Menifield v Oumar Sy
Originally earmarked for UFC Fight Night 255, Saturday’s meeting between Menifield versus Sy has been several months in the making.
Having won all eleven of his career MMA fights to press, Oumar Sy unsurprisingly heads into long-awaited clash as the bookie's favourite. The 29-year-old’s last appearance in the Octagon saw him overcome former HEAT Light-Heavyweight champion Jung Da-Woon, defeating the South Korean via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Moicano v Saint-Denis in September 2024.
Alonzo Menifield also curried favour with the judges in his most recent bout, as two-thirds of the panel deemed the Californian got the better of Team Fusion’s Julius Walker at February’s UFC on ESPN+ 110. However, Menifield suffered knockout blows in each of his two fights last year, with Carlos Ulberg and Azamat Murzakanov inflicting the pain.
Middleweight Division: Edmen Shahbazyan v Andre Petroski
Despite losing five of his last eight bouts, Edmen Shahbazyan should have just enough to edge the experienced Andre Petroski on Saturday night. The ‘Golden Boy’ delivered a ‘Performance of the Night’ display earlier this year, landing a sequence of accurate punches to subdue Dylan Budka at UFC Vegas 102.
Nevertheless, Shahbazyan will face a stern test in Atlanta. Petroski is in high spirits following three consecutive triumphs, which all came courtesy of unanimous judges’ decisions. The former AOW Middleweight champion was also victorious at the fifth UFC event of 2025, overcoming Rodolfo Vieira in Nevada.
Bantamweight Division: Cody Garbrandt v Raoni Barcelos
Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt has not entered the Octagon since succumbing to Deiveson Figueiredo at last April’s UFC 300, but will be hoping for a much better outcome on this occasion. The American fell victim to Figueiredo’s rear-naked choke hold towards the end of the second round, resulting in him losing by submission for the first time in his decorated career.
The momentum is undoubtedly with Raoni Barcelos, who comes into Saturday’s bout having overwhelmed the highly-rated Payton Talbott at UFC 311.
Middleweight Division: Mansur Abdul-Malik v Cody Brundage
After bursting onto the scene last November with a Performance of the Night display against Serbian brawler Duško Todorović, Mansur Abdul-Malik’s growing reputation was further enhanced thanks to a second-round victory over Nick Klein at UFC Fight Night 252. Will the Pennsylvania-born youngster preserve his unbeaten status?
Flying high off the back of a convincing triumph over the recently released Julian Marquez, Cody Brundage is unlikely to give his opponent much encouragement.
Women’s Flyweight Division: Rose Namajunas v Miranda Maverick
Rose Namajunas has endured a mixed bag of results since stepping up to the flyweight division, but her technical fighting capabilities have never been in doubt.
The two-time former UFC Strawweight Champion will be hoping to bounce back after last November’s bruising encounter with Erin Blanchfield, while Saturday’s opponent Miranda Maverick has won six of her last seven bouts.
Full Fight Card – UFC Fight Night: Usman v Buckley
Confirmation of Saturday’s bouts below:
Main Card
Kamaru Usman (Nigeria) v Joaquin Buckley (USA)
Alonzo Menifield (USA) v Oumar Sy (France)
Edmen Shahbazyan (USA) v Andre Petroski (USA)
Cody Garbrandt (USA) v Raoni Barcelos (Brazil)
Mansur Abdul-Malik (USA) v Cody Brundage (USA)
Rose Namajunas (USA) v Miranda Maverick (USA)
Preliminary Card
Paul Craig (Scotland) v Rodolfo Bellato (Brazil)
Michael Chiesa (USA) v Court McGee (USA)
Malcolm Wellmaker (USA) v Kris Moutinho (USA)
Cody Durden (USA) v Jose Ochoa (Peru)
Ricky Simón (USA) v Cameron Smotherman (USA)
Philip Rowe (USA) v Ange Loosa (DR Congo)
Jamey-Lyn Horth (Canada) v Vanessa Demopoulos (USA)
Where to watch?
TNT Sports is the exclusive home of UFC in the United Kingdom, with customers able to access comprehensive coverage of the world’s most popular MMA discipline.
Viewers can watch events unfold in Atlanta on TNT Sports 1, where the preliminary bouts will be screened from 1.00am. The focus will then shift to the main card two hours later, as excitement builds ahead of the headline clash between Usman and Buckley.
The early preliminaries are only available on the UFC Fight Pass application, which can be used on various smart devices. This application is a subscription-only service, with users able to choose either a monthly or annual contract.