The UFC returns to Atlanta for the first time in over six years, with a stacked fight night in preparation at the State Farm Arena.
The last event held at The Big Peach was UFC 236, when Dustin Poirier defeated Max Holloway to become the Interim Lightweight Champion, and Israel Adesanya defeated Kelvin Gastelum to become the Interim Middleweight Champion.
On Saturday, Kamaru Usman returns to headline the fight card alongside Joaquin Buckley as the winner could put themselves in Welterweight title contention.
The Co-Main Event is a Women’s Flyweight bout between the #7 contender, Rose Namajunas, who is looking for redemption, and the #11 contender, Miranda Maverick, who is on a four-fight winning streak.
But with those two anticipated fights being heavily focused, here are five other battles you should keep an eye on at UFC Atlanta.
Cody Garbrandt vs Raoni Barcelos
An intriguing matchup pits a former division champion against a Brazilian Bantamweight.
Garbrandt seemed to have found his rhythm again when he began a winning streak against Brian Kelleher at UFC 296. Still, it was ultimately shut down when he lost to Deiveson Figueiredo by second-round submission at UFC 300.
‘No Love’ has competed against some of the toughest 135-pound fighters, including Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillashaw.
The Ohio-born fighter is known for his incredible knockout power, as 11 of his 14 victories have ended by knockout or technical knockout.
Barcelos has just managed to find his rhythm once again after defeating eye-catching prospect Payton Talbott by unanimous decision at UFC 311.
The Rio de Janeiro mixed martial artist had taken on and lost to two opponents who are now contenders in the Bantamweight division, Kyler Phillips and Umar Nurmagomedov.
The 38-year-old has eight KO/TKO victories and three submissions, with four of those stoppage wins occurring in the UFC.
It’s a Bantamweight bout that seems unlikely to go the distance, as there is a strong feeling of a knockout win for one of the fighters.
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs Cody Brundage
A battle that is guaranteed to end in a stoppage, as both men boast high-percentage finish rates.
Abdul-Malik is undefeated with eight victories, with his last five ending by knockout, after defeating Nick Klein in his previous bout in the second round at UFC Seattle.
The American Middleweight has only had two fights in the UFC after earning a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) in August, defeating Wes Schultz.
The Pittsburgh-born fighter has stopped all of his opponents, with six of his triumphs ending in the first round.
Brundage returned to the win column after picking up a first-round TKO win over Julian Marquez at UFC Vegas 103.
The 31-year-old is seen as a recognisable fighter in the organisation after being one of two men to earn a slam knockout at UFC Austin back in December 2023.
Out of his 11 victories, the Chapin-born fighter has secured nine finishes in his professional MMA career with six knockouts and three submissions, eight of those ending in the first round.
It’s fair to say that this Middleweight fight will most likely be a one-round war, so you will not want to miss a second of this battle.
Paul Craig vs Rodolfo Bellato
Veteran takes on prospect in an unpredictable Light Heavyweight bout.
Craig makes his return to 205 pounds after suffering a three-fight losing streak, losing his last battle to Bo Nickal by unanimous decision at UFC 309.
‘BearJew’ has taken out three UFC Light Heavyweight Champions: Mauricio Rua, Jamahal Hill, and the current king of the division, Magomed Ankalaev.
The Scotsman has stopped every opponent he has conquered, earning four KO/TKO wins and 13 submissions.
Bellato increased his unbeaten streak to five in his last fight when he went to the judges’ scorecards against Jimmy Crute, earning a majority draw at UFC 312.
Despite having two losses in his career, the Brazilian suffered both defeats to Vitor Petrino by knockout, with the second happening on season six of DWCS.
In all of his 12 triumphs, ‘Trator’ has only gone the distance once, as seven of his wins have ended by knockout and four by submission.
There is a reason why this bout is scheduled as the featured prelim of UFC Atlanta, as the crowd atmosphere will be electric for this one.
Malcolm Wellmaker vs Kris Moutinho
A dazzling up-and-coming fighter goes toe-to-toe with a former UFC fighter in what is set to be a guaranteed war.
Wellmaker couldn’t have dreamed of a better debut after knocking Cameron Saaiman in the first round at UFC Kansas City.
The undefeated mixed martial artist only started his professional career in June 2022, as he’s already fighting for the most prominent MMA organisation.
‘The Machine’ has stopped seven of his opponents, earning five KO/TKO wins and two submissions, not to forget that his last three wins have ended by knockout.
Moutinho’s first stint in the UFC didn’t last long, suffering TKO losses to Guido Canetti and Sean O’Malley, despite absorbing 230 significant strikes against the former UFC Bantamweight Champion.
However, since then, the Milford fighter has had a significant rise and has earned himself a five-fight win streak.
The 32-year-old holds nine finishes out of 14 victories, with six ending by KO/TKO and three by submission, not to mention that his triumphant five-fight run has ended with stoppages.
With this bout on the prelims, there is no doubt it will get the Atlanta crowd going, as it could last in one minute or all three rounds.
Ricky Simon vs Cameron Smotherman
Oregonian vs Texan in a peculiar three-round bout, which could come out with a surprise.
Simon snapped his three-fight losing streak with a devastating knockout win against Javid Basharat, stopping him in the first round at UFC Seattle.
The Pendleton-born fighter earned a big victory on his UFC debut when he defeated current King of the Bantamweights, Merab Dvalishvili, back in April 2018.
The 32-year-old has secured seven knockouts and four submissions out of the 21 professional triumphs in his MMA career.
Smotherman suffered his first UFC defeat in his second bout with a unanimous decision loss to Serhiy Sidey at UFC Des Moines.
The 27-year-old was on a four-fight winning streak, which included a career-first submission victory that occurred at Fury FC 94 against Ryan Mondala.
‘The Baby-Faced Killa’ has stopped seven of his 12 conquered opponents, with six of those ending by KO/TKO.
Despite Charles Jourdain being the original opponent for Simon, will it favour him or Smotherman more?