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Rose Namajunas was well compensated for her victory in the UFC Atlanta co-main event this past Saturday.

The former strawweight champion took home a disclosed payday of $500,000 for her three-round verdict over Miranda Maverick ($125,000) in their flyweight clash at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The Georgia Athletic & Entertainment Commission recently released a full list of salaries from the event, which is also known as UFC on ESPN 69.

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Kamaru Usman, who was competing for the first time since October 2023, earned a flat purse of $300,000 for his five-round verdict over Joaquin Buckley ($150,000) in the evening’s welterweight headliner.

All told, 13 fighters who fought at UFC Atlanta secured disclosed six-figure purses.

Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Additionally, the reported figures do not r…

👀😲Umar Nurmagomedov reveals Hunter Campbell came to Dagestan to convince Islam to move up so Topuria can become the champ at 155

"He [Hunter] came to see Islam, and they wanted Islam to move up. They want to make Topuria the champ at 155. They believe he can really sell… pic.twitter.com/bMOiyARPFT

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 15, 2025

Umar Nurmagomedov made some stunning revelations about UFC executive Hunter Campbell’s recent visit to Dagestan.

The featherweight, lightweight and welterweight title pictures were all in a mix prior to UFC 315 last month — and Campbell was surprisingly visiting the Republic of Dagestan in Russia weeks before the event. Nurmagomedov recently revealed the purpose behind Campbell’s visit to his homeland. 

While Islam Makhachev had been eyeing a move up to welterweight for a while, he didn’t confirm the decision until Belal Muhammad was dethroned by Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Me…

Raoni Barcelos is aiming for the bantamweight rankings after his win over Cody Garbrandt. 

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Barcelos took on Garbrandt at UFC Atlanta on Saturday. While Garbrandt led the dance in the first round, Barcelos rallied back to control the former champ and earn a hard-fought unanimous decision. Barcelos considers it the biggest win of his career so far and admits to being surprised by Garbrandt’s wrestling defense.

“I think it was definitely the biggest win in my career,” Barcelos said in a post-fight media scrum. “It was a great fight. Cody was in great form, and we put on a great fight… I knew he was gonna be tough. What surprised me is how strong his wrestling was even though he comes from a wrestling base. I think it made for a fun and dynamic fight.”

Barcelos is looking ahead to another significant pairing in the division before the conclusion of 2025.

“I want Rob Font by the end of the year,” he said. “I want to be in the rankings b…

Paddy Pimblett talks a potential lightweight title fight against Ilia Topuria 👀

"If Ilia wins and says he wants to fight me, the UFC will make that fight because they know it's a money fight...

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I know I'd beat him... I know how to beat him. No one goes for his weaknesses,… pic.twitter.com/uQlFanZ2Cn — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 15, 2025

Paddy Pimblett believes a matchup with Ilia Topuria will be a big draw. 

The beef between the two started with Pimblett’s controversial comments about Topuria’s home country of Georgia. The two met at a UFC London card in March 2022, and Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria at the fighter hotel. They have since gone back and forth on multiple occasions, although the feud seems lighthearted.

Pimblett was eager to welcome Topuria to the lightweight division when the former featherweight champ moved up. However, Topuria will fight for the vacant lightwei…

Umar Nurmagomedov picks Merab Dvalishvili to still be champion by the end of the year 🦾🇬🇪

"I've hit Merab clean myself — he didn't even flinch. Tough guy. He's really hard to knock out. He's got cardio for days, and he's just got brute strength. It's not like he's got advanced… pic.twitter.com/dh0AuObotY

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 15, 2025

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Umar Nurmagomedov believes it’s unlikely that Merab Dvalishvili will be dethroned anytime soon. 

Dvalishvili made his first bantamweight title defense against Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 this past January. While Nurmagomedov was widely considered to be the toughest challenge in the division for Dvalishvili, the champ spoiled the challenger’s undefeated record. Dvalishvili has since submitted Sean O’Malley in a rematch at UFC 316 earlier this month. 

Nurmagomedov believes Dvalishvili is hard to beat in every way, even by a puncher’s chance — because Nurmagomedov…

Rodolfo Bellato has opened up on his controversial outing against Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta. 

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Bellato and Craig met in a preliminary light heavyweight clash at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Saturday. Bellato was trying to land ground-and-pound on Craig in the final seconds of the first round when he ate an illegal upkick that sent him crashing to the canvas. While “Trator” initially appeared to protest the illegal upkick, he started grappling with the referee moments later, seemingly out of confusion after being briefly unconscious. Bellato was deemed unable to continue, and the fight was declared a no contest due to an illegal blow. 

Many fans and fighters alike later questioned the authenticity of Bellato’s reaction, accusing the Brazilian of bluffing. Bellato addressed the accusations, detailing what exactly transpired in those final seconds. Bellato claims that while he initially recognized the illegal kick and protested, he sta…

Joaquin Buckley’s six-fight winning streak may have come to an end at UFC Atlanta, but he is confident that the best is yet to come.

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“New Mansa” struggled with his defensive wrestling for much of the evening, dropping a five-round verdict to former welterweight king Kamaru Usman on Saturday night at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. While Buckley staged a late rally, it was too late to sway the scorecards in his favor.

“Hand wasn’t raised last night, but I am still victorious and will be one of the greats,” Buckley wrote on Instagram.

“This trip has been beyond amazing, and I wouldn’t change a thing that happened in my fight camp. Everything was perfectly planned — I just didn’t execute like I know I could… We wanted to land early damage on Usman and get him moving back, but he did a good job neutralizing threats with takedowns.

“But don’t get it twisted: Usman was more concerned about holding me than hurting me in this fight, but he did what …

Kamaru Usman has no interest in settling the score with Belal Muhammad.

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Shortly after “The Nigerian Nightmare” made a triumphant return to the Octagon with a unanimous decision victory over Joaquin Buckley in the UFC Atlanta headliner, Muhammad congratulated Usman on his win while adding, “See you soon.”

Congrats see you soon

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) June 15, 2025 When Muhammad’s post was mentioned to him at Saturday’s post fight press conference, Usman replied: Who is it? Who’s that? Next.”

The guy that made u cry on ur podcast

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) June 15, 2025

The rivalry between the two former welterweight champions reached a boiling point during a recent podcast, when Usman and Muhammad allegedy came to blows. The footage from that incident has not been released, and it appears that Usman is more focused on regaining welterweight gold.

Newly-crowned welterweight champ…

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As soon as the light heavyweight clash between Rodolfo Bellato and Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta ended, the speculation began.

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The bout was halted when Craig landed an illegal upick on his Brazilian foe at the 4:59 mark of Round 1. Bellato appeared to go out before suddenly jolting back to consciousness and attempting to grapple with referee Kevin MacDonald. As a result, the bout was declared a no contest.

More than a few observers questioned the legitimacy of Bellato’s reaction, especially since he appeared to be looking at the referee in protest as he fell to the canvas. That skepticism included the UFC Atlanta post-fight show team of Anthony Smith, Stephen Thompson and Dan Hellie. Smith was especially blunt when calling out the Brazilian for his actions.

“It was a great fight up until the way that it ended all weird. Paul Craig was really forcing the takedowns, he ends up shooting the takedown, pulls guard, the round ends and h…

Miranda Maverick fought at a diminished capacity for at least a portion of her encounter with Rose Namajunas in the UFC Atlanta co-main event.

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Maverick revealed that she suffered a torn ACL in the second round of the flyweight bout, which Namajunas won via unanimous decision. Despite that injury, the Elevation Fight Team representative made it a competitive fight, even threatening her opponent with an arm-triangle choke near the end of Round 2.

While Namajunas was credited with a knockdown in the third frame, Maverick claims that it was directly related to her knee.

“Not the result I wanted but I fought with what I had. My ACL was torn in the second round (I’ll have to rewatch to know exactly when but I think it was during a takedown exchange). I never got dropped, but I was unstable on my legs so as soon as I got hit in the third round my leg buckled,” Maverick wrote on Instagram. “ I’m blessed I was able to make it to the end of the fight, …

😳💰 Drakkar Klose once had to write an apology letter to the UFC so he could receive his $50,000 bonus after shouting out a gambling site in his post-fight interview.

(via @TimwelchMT) pic.twitter.com/jevHzdl5sH

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 14, 2025

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Drakkar Klose once nearly missed out on a UFC bonus for advertising a brand. 

Klose earned his second-ever $50,000 bonus with a slam knockout over Joe Solecki at UFC Austin in 2023. Klose gave a shoutout to betting site Stake.com in his post-fight Octagon interview, for which he had been offered $10,000. However, little did he know that it would almost ended up costing him his bonus. 

Klose was informed not to mention betting sites during the fighter meeting ahead of the fight. However, he didn’t think shouting out Stake.com would be an issue because they were official betting partners of the UFC. But the promotion was not pleased, and Klose had to w…

🇦🇺🇺🇸Alexander Volkanovski says that Jon Jones needs to retire:

"If you a the champion — defend your belt. It’s a responsibility. I think you need to find whoever is there. If there is an interim champ it’s a no-brainer.

Your resume is incredible. You’re considered the greatest… pic.twitter.com/379HCHrXib

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 14, 2025

Alexander Volkanovski has a message for fellow champion Jon Jones.

Jones has earned criticism throughout the world of combat sports for avoiding a fight against Tom Aspinall. Jones won the vacant heavyweight title in 2023 against Ciryl Gane but was forced out of a title defense against Stipe Miocic due to an injury. Aspinall won the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich and defended it against Curtis Blaydes as Jones stayed sidelined. 

However, Jones remained adamant about defending his title against Miocic instead of unifying the title. The matchup came to fruition in …

Marcus McGhee (10-1) is set to face his biggest step in competition so far when he meets Petr Yan (18-5) at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26.

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McGhee is not the only UFC bantamweight contender from his gym. Led by former champ Sean O’Malley, the MMA Lab in Arizona is a hub of talented 135-pounders.  This includes Kyler Phillips and Mario Bautista, who defeated Patrick Mix at UFC 316.

McGhee revealed that his team has already discussed the possibility of facing each other. “The Maniac” says there are no ill feelings between them and they would preferably avoid fighting each other forever. However, with four elite bantamweights chasing gold, there is only so far they can go without meeting in the cage. If McGhee has to fight a teammate, he wants it to be for the title with a massive payday on offer. And if that inevitably happens, McGhee assures there will be no bad blood inside the MMA Lab.

“We’ve always spoken about it and obviously none of us…

Malcolm Wellmaker appears to have all the makings of a future star.

The Augusta, Georgia, native took home a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus thanks to a first-round knockout of Kris Moutinho in a preliminary bantamweight clash at UFC Atlanta on Saturday night. A right hook from Wellmaker caused his opponent to face plant into the canvas, bringing an abrupt end to the contest at the 2:37 mark of Round 1.

Elsewhere, Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their five-round battle in the evening’s main event. While Usman took control early with his wrestling, Buckley made things interesting with a spirited effort down the stretch. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough, as “The Nigerian Nightmare” emerged with a unanimous decision triumph.

Finally, Peru’s Jose Ochoa captured the evening’s other “$50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for putting away crowd favorite Cody Durden in a preliminary flyweight tilt.…

Sherdog's live UFC Atlanta coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC on ESPN 69. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Horth (-520), Demopoulos (+390)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Loosa (-135), Rowe (+114)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Devin Tejada scores the round:Tristen Critchfield s…

Kamaru Usman showcased the dominance, determination and downright nastiness that made him one of the greatest Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight kings throughout his five-round performance against Joaquin Buckley on Saturday night at UFC Atlanta.

Usman (21-4, 16-4 UFC) put on a vintage performance, mauling Buckley en route to a unanimous decision win (49-46, 49-46, 48-47). Buckley (21-7, 11-5) had few answers for Usman’s world-class wrestling alongside the cage. Usman dragged his foe to the mat with single-leg takedowns and maintained immense top pressure for minutes at a time. By the end of the first round, Buckley’s eye was busted open with scarlet blood leaking out. Usman was unmarked and unfazed as the former No. 1 pound-for-pound kingpin replicated the game plan for 25 minutes.

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Buckley was a game opponent and had Usman visibly worried on his feet. When given the opportunity, “New Mansa” threw heavy explosive combos looking to pull off …

This is the funniest ending to a UFC fight

Bellato pulls out of the initial fight because he had herpes, and then dies to an illegal upkick, only to wake up and try to fight with the ref 😂😂😂#UFCAtlantapic.twitter.com/3oWZnity7k

— The Fight Bubble (@thefightbubble) June 15, 2025

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The UFC Atlanta prelims ended on a disappointing note as Rodolfo Bellato and Paul Craig’s light heavyweight showdown was declare a no contest after Craig (17-9-1, 1 NC) landed an illegal upkick on Bellato midway through the first round.

Things were just starting to heat up on the ground as Bellato (12-2-1 1 NC) looked to pass Craig’s guard, the Scottish slugger caught Bellato on the side of his face. Referee Kevin MacDonald called a halt to the action, but Bellato was in no condition to continue, even at on point trying to grapple with MacDonald out of confusion.

Chiesa Handles Business in Atlanta Michael Chiesa picked up his third straigh…

Payton Talbott will get the opportunity to rebound from his first career defeat at International Fight Week.

The Dana White’s Contender Series alum will square off against Brazilian prospect Felipe Lima in a bantamweight clash at UFC 317. Frontkick Online was first to report the booking. UFC 317 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 28 and is headlined by a showdown between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt. In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight crown against Kai Kara-France.

Talbott began his professional tenure with nine consecutive victories, a run that included finishes of Nick Aguirre, Cameron Saiiman and Yanis Ghemmouri inside the Octagon. The Reno, Nevada, native ran into adversity in his most recent outing, however, as he dropped a unanimous verdict to Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311 this past January.

Lima, meanwhile, has been victorious in 14 consecutive bouts since losing his…

🎉✨Fight Result✨🎉#RIZIN_LANDMARK11 in SAPPORO❄️

⚔️ Bout 15 ⚔️RIZIN MMA Rules – 66.0kg

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🟥 #VugarKaramov / @vugar_karamov 🇦🇿【WIN】🏆ーーー🆚ーーー🟦 #ShuyaKimura / @shuya120610 🇯🇵【LOSE】

3R Decision (3-0)

[ #RIZIN_LANDMARK11 | Live on #RIZINtv ] pic.twitter.com/GVv6ReHBZB — RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) June 14, 2025 Former Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight champion Vugar Karamov proved that he is no steppingstone and held off the challenge of a highly-touted prospect on Saturday in the main event of Rizin "Landmark Vol. 11" in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Karamov earned a unanimous decision victory over 25-year-old Shuya Kimura, who had previously knocked out each of his five opponents within the first 76 seconds.

Early in the opening round, Karamov (21-6, 7-3 Rizin) hopped on the back of Kimura (5-1, 0-1 Rizin) and threatened with the first of several face cranks that he attempted throughout the fight. Kimura defended …

Petr Yan explains why he accepted a fight against #13 ranked Marcus McGhee:

"I was told that I can wait and I'll be next in line for the title, but I don't want to wait and I don't want to be an inactive fighter. I want to fight twice this year, if possible.

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I just wanted to… pic.twitter.com/nDFEazPwcZ — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 13, 2025

Petr Yan is as game as they come. 

Yan will fight Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. When reports of the matchup first surfaced, many were initially unwilling to buy it. Fans couldn’t fathom why Yan, likely on he brink of a title shot, would fight so far down the rankings. 

However, Yan just wants to stay active. “No Mercy” revealed that the UFC promised him a title shot in his next fight if he wanted to wait for it. However, the former bantamweight champ wanted to fight in the summer and most fighters in the T…

Max Holloway is looking to beat Dustin Poirier and fight the winner of Topuria vs Oliveira 👀

“I got history with both [Ilia and Charles]… if I get a statement win, who’s to say your boy won’t fight for the title at the end of the year.”

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🎥 @BlessedMMApic.twitter.com/XnDiUHEz1W — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 13, 2025

Max Holloway believes a win over Dustin Poirier immediately puts him in the lightweight title mix. 

Holloway will be Poirier’s retirement fight at UFC 318 on July 19 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. “Blessed” believes it might be a sad retirement for Poirier, as he wants to beat the Louisiana native in front of his home crowd. 

Holloway notes that while this is Poirier’s last walk to the Octagon, “The Diamond” is fresh off his third bid for lightweight gold. Holloway himself is coming off a featherweight title attempt and considers himself up for contention…

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Justin Gaethje believes the UFC owes him a title shot next. 

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Gaethje is 3-1 in his last four, which includes two decision wins over Rafael Fiziev and a knockout win over Dustin Poirier. His only recent loss came in an iconic BMF title fight against Max Holloway at UFC 300 last year. Gaethje claims the UFC came “begging” to him to fight “Blessed.” Gaethje also argues that the loss shouldn’t have any bearing on the title picture, as it was essentially an exhibition fight. 

Gaethje further notes that Poirier, whom he beat, already got a title shot in the meantime. “The Highlight” also believes the UFC could have easily given him a title shot, as Islam Makhachev had repeatedly expressed interest in the matchup. With Makhachev having moved to welterweight, Charles Oliveira and former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria will compete for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 on June 28 in Las Vegas.

“They owe me a champio…

👀 Belal Muhammad makes his pick for Usman vs. Buckley; says he is cheering for Kamaru:

"Usman, I'm cheering for you. I know you said there's nothing there for you with me next, but I wanna see you win, and then I wanna see you in the cage."

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via @bullyb170 new YT channel 👀 pic.twitter.com/DA4L9uYGRF — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 13, 2025

Belal Muhammad wants Kamaru Usman to win at UFC Atlanta despite their differences.

Usman headlines UFC on ESPN 69 against Joaquin Buckley (21-6) on Saturday at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Usman has publicly been feuding with Muhammad recently, even coming close to blows on one occasion.

While they were trading barbs online for a while, things allegedly escalated when Muhammad appeared as a guest on Usman’s podcast with Henry Cejudo. While the footage is yet to be released, Cejudo claims hands were thrown, and he had to intervene with the production crew…

[embedded content] Two of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s “three kings” got together unexpectedly in Hotlanta.

At the ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of UFC Atlanta on Saturday, headliner Kamaru Usman walked on stage flanked solely by former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou. It marks one of a small number of times “The Predator” has been seen in a noteworthy capacity—that is, not sitting in the crowd as a fan during a fight card—at a UFC show since he left the promotion’s ranks in 2023. UFC chief Dana White was not in attendance, as the weigh-in ceremony was instead helmed by commentator Brendan Fitzgerald, exec Hunter Campbell and matchmaker Mick Maynard.

Usman was not joined by teammates from his Kill Cliff FC camp, and instead had his face painted with the colors of the Nigerian flag as he flexed while making weight at 171 pounds. Maynard stayed ready to get between Usman and upcoming foe Joaquin Buckley during the final staredown, but he was ultimately not r…