Kamaru Usman is poised for his return to the top ranks of the welterweight division. The former champion, who held the UFC`s 170-pound belt from 2019 to 2022, successfully hit the scales at 171 pounds on Friday morning for his main event clash against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta. This upcoming bout marks Usman`s first fight back in the welterweight category since March 2023.
Joaquin Buckley, his opponent for Saturday`s headliner, also successfully weighed in at 171 pounds. Buckley has been on an impressive run since moving down from middleweight, securing six consecutive victories, including notable wins against seasoned contenders Colby Covington and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. He is currently ranked No. 7 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings for welterweights.
The co-main event is also confirmed, with Rose Namajunas and Miranda Maverick both weighing in precisely at 126 pounds. Namajunas, a two-time champion in the strawweight division (115 pounds) and ranked No. 13 pound-for-pound globally, aims to solidify her position in the flyweight title picture by overcoming the surging Maverick, who brings a four-fight winning streak into the octagon.
Remarkably, all 26 fighters scheduled to compete at UFC Atlanta successfully made their required weights. The process did include a brief moment of suspense courtesy of middleweight Mansur Abdul-Malik.
Abdul-Malik was the final fighter to weigh in and initially registered one pound over the limit. With less than ten minutes remaining in the official weigh-in window, he briefly left the stage before returning shortly after. Under cover of a box for privacy, he successfully made the 186-pound limit just in time.
See the complete UFC Atlanta weigh-in results below:
