The main and co-main events have been announced for UFC Fight Night 257, which takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday, June 14.
Headlining the card, surging welterweight prospect Joaquin Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) is set to take on former long-time 170-pound champion Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in a five-round contest.
Buckley has been on a tear since moving down to the welterweight division from 185 pounds in 2023. “New Mansa” has won six fights in a row, racking up four victories in 2024 alone to climb to sixth place in the UFC welterweight rankings.
His most recent wins came against two of the division’s elder statesmen, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Colby Covington. Buckley knocked out Thompson in the third round of their UFC 307 bout in October, earning a Performance of the Night bonus.
He was originally scheduled to face Ian Machado Garry in the main event at UFC Tampa in December, but after “The Future” was pulled from the card to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, Buckley instead faced — and defeated — former title challenger Colby Covington.
Kamaru Usman returns to the Octagon for his first appearance since October 2023. “The Nigerian Nightmare” is on a three-fight losing streak after surrendering his title to Leon Edwards in 2022 and will be looking to return to the win column in Atlanta.
Another former UFC champion will be in action in the co-main event, as Rose Namajunas (13-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) returns to face Miranda Maverick (15-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in a bid to establish herself in the flyweight title picture.
"Thug" Rose moved up to 125 pounds after losing her strawweight title to Carla Esparza in 2022. She dropped her flyweight debut to Manon Fiorot but bounced back with wins over Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez in 2024.
Following a loss to Erin Blanchfield in her most recent fight last November, Namajunas will be looking to get back on track against Maverick on June 14.
Miranda Maverick, ranked 12th in the division heading into this bout—six spots below Namajunas—will view a win as a key step toward entering the title conversation.
Fights Confirmed For UFC Fight Night 257 So Far
- Joaquin Buckley vs. Kamaru Usman
- Miranda Maverick vs. Rose Namajunas
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy
- Tereza Bleda vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
- Andre Petroski vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
- Cody Durden vs. Jose Ochoa
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Cody Brundage
