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There isn’t another UFC Fight Night scheduled for the UFC Apex until August 2nd, so it’s like old times again, with halfway decent fight cards for us to watch and gamble on. That includes this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Usman vs Buckley (aka UFC Atlanta). Here are your UFC Atlanta predictions & best bets to make Saturday night profitable.
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Joaquin Buckley (-270) vs Kamaru Usman 3c2u4i
Former welterweight king Kamaru Usman is one of three former UFC champions on this fight card – and I’m picking against all of them. Usman, especially, is well past his best-before date.
Not only has Usman been out of the cage since October 2023, but he has also not won a fight since 2021. Joaquin Buckley is younger, a better athlete, and is not just a knockout threat – he’s also a decent grappler.
Miranda Maverick (+200) vs Rose Namajunas 1l2j3d
Two-time UFC Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas is champ #2 that I’m fading. Now up at flyweight, you never know what version of ‘Thug’ Rose will show up in the cage, and that’s not something I’m willing to bet at -238.
Miranda Maverick is five years younger than Namajunas, is a physical beast, and always brings it. I think she can use her physicality and superior motivation to grind out a win.
Andre Petroski (+152) vs Edmen Shahbazyan 1z6h2r
I’m going dog in the third fight from the top, as well, picking Andre Petroski to beat Edmen Shahbazyan in a middleweight fight. Shahbazyan can not string together back-to-back wins for the life of him, and he won his last fight, so…
Petroski is going to wrestle the fight out of Shahbazyan and drag him into deep waters. Shahbazyan isn’t above quitting in a fight.
Raoni Barcelos (-198) vs Cody Garbrandt 432k2j
The third former champion I’m betting against is bantamweight Cody Garbrandt. I wrote him off quite a few years ago due to his non-existent fight IQ and the fact that his chin seemed to be gone. But he has won two of his last three and didn’t get knocked out, so maybe he’s not totally shot.
Still, I like Raoni Barcelos in this matchup. While he doesn’t have Garbrandt’s one-shot knockout power, he is a better overall striker and a better grappler.
Phil Rowe (+118) vs Ange Loosa 5q1856
I’ll get you another dog, this one from the second fight of the night, pitting welterweights Phil Rowe and Ange Loosa against each other. And I’m going with the American, Rowe.
Neither guy has had tremendous success in the UFC, both hovering at the .500 mark. And Rowe has been in a slump and has been out of action for a year. However, he’s so much bigger than Loosa (five inches taller, six-inch reach advantage) as well as being a better striker, that I think he gets the job done and lives another day employed by the UFC.
Check out the MMA Gambling Podcast if you’d like even more UFC Atlanta picks. The guys are dropping five episodes a week to make you the smartest guy at the bar.
