UFC Atlanta went down last night (Sat., June 14, 2025) inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, which saw Kamaru Usman return to his winning ways by defeating Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision win (recap). In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas defeated Miranda Maverick — also via unanimous decision — after 15 minutes of back-and-forth action, while Raoni Barcelos did enough to get a win over Cody Garbrandt on the judges scorecards.
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Winner: Kamaru Usman
Who He Should Face Next: Belal Muhammad
I don’t care that Usman was quick to dismiss Muhammad’s callout after his win over Buckley, but this piece is who he “should” fight next, and Muhammad fits the bill perfectly. I don’t know how Usman got it in his head that he is deserving of a title shot after just one win since 2021, which was preceded by a three-fight losing streak, but that is what he wants, but likely won’t get. Islam Makhachev is going to get Jack Della Maddalena first, and then Sean Brady and Shavkhat Rakhmanov are next in line. For those keeping count, that is three fighters ahead of “The Nigerian Nightmare” on the pecking order.
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Winner: Rose Namajunas
Who She Should Fight Next: Alexa Grasso
“Thug Rose” got back on track following an impressive win over Miranda Maverick, putting her at 3-1 in her last four fights. Currently ranked No. 7 in the women’s Flyweight division, I would love to see her face Grasso next. The former champions is ranked No. 2 in the division, but she is on a two-fight losing streak and is in desperate need of a win. For Namajunas, defeating the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division gets her on the fast track to a title shot. For Grasso, defeating “Thug Rose” would be a much-needed confidence booster.
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Winner: Edmen Shahbazyan
Who He Should Face Next: Mike Malott
Shahbazyan secured his first back-to-back win streak in five years with his victory over Andre Petroski, and will now look for consecutive win number three, possibly against Malott, who is also riding a two-fight win streak. He was most recently seen defeating Charles Radtke at UFC 315 last month, upping his overall UFC record to 5-1.
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Winner: Raoni Barcelos
Who He Should Face Next: Da’Mon Blackshear
Barcleos collected his third straight win after defeating former Bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt, via unanimous decision. A fight against Blackshear seems fitting since both men have a similar run going. Both have won three in a row after suffering back-to-back defeats.
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Winner: Alonzo Menifield
Who He Should Face Next: Winner of Nikita Krylov vs Bogdan Guskov
Menifield won his second in a row by handing Oumar Sy his first-ever defeat. Currently ranked No. 15, Menifield is looking to crack the Top 10 sooner, rather than later. I wouldn’t mind seeing him face off against the winner of the upcoming fight between Krylov and Guskov, which is set to go down on July 26, 2025.
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