Kamal Usman returned to the victory column after winning the dominant decision over Joaquin Buckley at the headliner of UFC Atlanta on Saturday night.
Buckley swung early and came out. So Usman changed his level at the opening, allowing him to secure a double-leg takedown against the fence. Usman managed to cut Buckley off with his elbow and controlled the entire round with top control.
The second verse was the same as the first, with Usman defeating Buckley again, controlling the actions of the majority of the stanza. Buckley appears to have no answer after “Nigerian Nightmare” turned his back on the mat.
Buckley appeared to land a third few solid strikes, including a crisp left hook that cut out Usman. But that led Usman to film yet another takedown, dragging “New Mantha” to the mat and leaving his third straight round in the bank with a steady strike on the ground.
Buckley stood up half of the fourth round and landed some solid strikes in the process, but his success didn’t last long. For two minutes, Usman shot into the double leg and replanted Buckley on the canvas. Buckley couldn’t fight a way back before the end of the round and probably gave him five minutes to unlock the finish.
Official Results: Kamaru Usman def. Joaquin Buckley has been unanimously determined (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)