UFC on ESPN: Usman vs. Buckley
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 14, 2025 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta , United States |
UFC on ESPN: Usman vs. Buckley—also referred to as UFC on ESPN 69, was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 14, 2025. The event took place at State Farm Arena located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Background
This event represented the UFC's fifth appearance in Atlanta and was its first since UFC 236 held in April 2019.
The headlining fight was a welterweight clash featuring former UFC Welterweight Champion and winner of The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians, Kamaru Usman, against Joaquin Buckley.
In the light heavyweight division, bouts included Alonzo Menifield facing Oumar Sy—a matchup rescheduled from March due to Sy sustaining an injury—and Paul Craig competing against Rodolfo Bellato, the former interim LFA Light Heavyweight Champion. This fight was postponed from a previous event as Bellato was sidelined by a herpes infection.
A women's flyweight contest was planned between former LFA Women's Flyweight Champion Jamey-Lyn Horth and Tereza Bledá. However, Bledá withdrew due to a staph infection and was replaced by former LFA Women's Strawweight Champion, Vanessa Demopoulos.
In bantamweight action, Ricky Simón competed against Cameron Smotherman, who stepped in for Charles Jourdain after Jourdain withdrew during fight week with an eye injury.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were granted to the following fighters:
- Fight of the Night: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley
- Performance of the Night: Malcolm Wellmaker and Jose Ochoa
Reported payout
The disclosed fighter earnings submitted to the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission do not include sponsorship funds or discretionary bonuses:
- Kamaru Usman: $300,000 defeated Joaquin Buckley: $150,000
- Rose Namajunas: $500,000 (including $250,000 win bonus) defeated Miranda Maverick: $125,000
- Edmen Shahbazyan: $186,000 (with $93,000 win bonus) defeated Andre Petroski: $100,000
- Raoni Barcelos: $102,000 (including $51,000 win bonus) defeated Cody Garbrandt: $275,000
- Mansur Abdul-Malik: $28,000 (with $14,000 win bonus) faced Cody Brundage: $65,000
- Alonzo Menifield: $250,000 (including $125,000 win bonus) defeated Oumar Sy: $26,000
- Paul Craig: $125,000 versus Rodolfo Bellato: $12,000
- Michael Chiesa: $300,000 (with a $150,000 win bonus) defeated Court McGee: $83,000
- Malcolm Wellmaker: $24,000 (including $12,000 win bonus) defeated Kris Moutinho: $14,000
- Jose Ochoa: $20,000 (with a $10,000 win bonus) defeated Cody Durden: $63,000
- Ricky Simón: $166,000 (including an $83,000 win bonus) defeated Cameron Smotherman: $14,000
- Philip Rowe: $110,000 (with a $55,000 win bonus) defeated Ange Loosa: $30,000
- Jamey-Lyn Horth: $50,000 (including a $25,000 win bonus) defeated Vanessa Demopoulos: $65,000
Aftermath
On July 23, 2025, the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission (GAEC) reversed Cody Brundage’s initial technical loss resulting from a headbutt that halted his fight against Mansur Abdul-Malik. The contest was officially declared a majority draw in accordance with GAEC regulations that disallow scoring of rounds that are not fully completed. The judges’ scorecards read 19–19, 19–19, and 18–20 across the two finished rounds.