Din Thomas, Anthony Smith spilt on Usman vs. Buckley

The UFC heads to Atlanta connected Saturday for a UFC Fight Night (10 p.m. ET connected ESPN/ESPN+; prelims astatine 7 p.m. ET connected ESPN+) headlined by a brace of top-10 welterweights successful ESPN's divisional rankings. Former champion Kamaru Usman (20-4) volition beryllium backmost successful enactment for the archetypal clip successful a twelvemonth and a fractional against Joaquin Buckley (21-6), who enters the play connected a six-fight winning streak that includes 4 aboriginal finishes.

Another erstwhile champion, Rose Namajunas (14-7), volition beryllium successful enactment successful the co-main lawsuit against Miranda Maverick (17-5), who is successful the midst of her ain four-fight triumph streak.

The PFL World Tournament is besides backmost this week (Thursday astatine 10 p.m. connected ESPN/ESPN+; prelims astatine 7 p.m. connected ESPN+) with semifinal bouts successful the welterweight and featherweight divisions. Prospect Thad Jean (9-0) and erstwhile Bellator champion Jason Jackson (19-5) conscionable successful the welterweight main event, portion 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo (24-6-1) takes connected the antheral helium bushed for the title, Gabriel Braga (16-2), successful the rubber lucifer of their three-fight series.

Brett Okamoto spoke to erstwhile UFC fighters Din Thomas and Anthony Smith to get their UFC main lawsuit predictions. ESPN betting adept Ian Parker adds penetration and investigation connected the combat nighttime for Atlanta and intriguing bets from the PFL semifinals.

Welterweight: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley

Smith's pick: Usman by decision

Usman volition person a pugnacious clip aboriginal with Buckley's velocity and athleticism, but erstwhile they settee into the fight, I deliberation the seasoned savviness of Kamaru volition instrumentality over. And this is not existent method analysis, X's and O's, but [consider] however agelong Kamaru spent connected the side. How galore fights did helium not take? How galore opportunities did helium walk connected earlier helium chose this fight? There's a crushed helium likes this matchup. There's thing helium sees that the remainder of america don't see. He's calculated with [taking] fights, and for immoderate reason, this 1 was worthy his time. I deliberation that matters. -- Anthony Smith

Thomas's pick: Buckley by decision

Buckley's question is going to beryllium a small excessively overmuch for Usman to support up with, and Buckley is going to beryllium touching [Usman] up portion helium moves. I don't deliberation it's gonna beryllium that breathtaking of a fight, with Buckley executing a astute crippled program successful which he'll narrowly triumph each round. -- Din Thomas

Betting analysis

Odds close arsenic of June 12. Visit ESPN BET for the astir up-to-date UFC Fight Night odds and PFL 2025 semifinals odds.

Parker: Buckley to triumph (-280). A caller defender is rising successful the welterweight division, and the 31-year-old Buckley is looking to travel the way of Jack Della Maddalena and Sean Brady, who some bushed erstwhile champions successful their astir caller fights. Buckley has been highly awesome since making the determination from middleweight to welterweight successful 2023, and I don't spot his six-fight winning streak stopping here. As agelong arsenic this combat stays connected the feet and Buckley doesn't let Usman to clasp him against the cage, Buckley should triumph this arsenic the amended striker. Can Usman crook this into a wrestling lucifer and enactment competitive? It is possible. But fixed he's 38 years old, helium hasn't fought since October 2023 and is taking connected a younger and unsafe combatant successful Buckley, Usman volition beryllium connected the losing broadside here.

Parker's champion bets connected the remainder of the card

Women's flyweight: Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick

Namajunas to triumph (-255). Namajunas has seen the scorecards successful each of her past six fights (three wins and 3 losses), and I don't deliberation this clip volition beryllium immoderate different. Unlike her past combat against Erin Blanchfield, successful which Blanchfield had the borderline successful grappling, Namajunas should person the vantage everyplace and anyplace the combat against Maverick goes. Against Blanchfield, Namajunas was up 2 rounds to nary connected the judges' scorecards past mislaid the last 3 rounds. She won't marque the aforesaid mistake against different grapple-heavy wrestler. Instead, Namajunas volition power the gait and crook up the striking measurement en way to a determination victory.

Middleweight: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski

Under 2.5 rounds. Either Shahbazyan gets the knockout oregon Petroski gets the submission. I cannot spot this combat going 3 rounds due to the fact that some fighters decorativeness oregon get finished astir each clip out. For Petroski, helium needs to get Shahbazyan to the canvas t early. If helium tin get ascendant presumption connected the crushed successful Round 1, helium volition person plentifulness of opportunities to get the submission. If Shahbazyan forces him to box, Petroski volition get knocked into the shadiness realm.

Men's bantamweight: Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Kris Moutinho

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Malcolm Wellmaker sends Adam Bramhald to mat with ridiculous KO

Malcolm Wellmaker sends Adam Bramhald to the crushed with an unbelievable knockout astatine Dana White's Contender Series.

Wellmaker nether 1.5 rounds. Wellmaker made a large content connected "Dana White's Contender Series" past topped that with a first-round knockout successful his UFC debut that earned him a show bonus and allowed him to discontinue his time job. On Saturday, he'll instrumentality connected a crippled and durable Moutinho, but I don't deliberation Moutinho volition beryllium capable to debar getting caught cleanable by Wellmaker for 3 rounds. Moutinho, who is returning to MMA aft a three-year retirement, was knocked retired by Guido Cannetti and Sean O'Malley successful his 2 erstwhile UFC fights. If Cannetti could decorativeness him, Wellmaker tin bash it faster. Unless this turns into a jiu-jitsu match, which I don't spot happening, look for Wellmaker to get this done nether 1.5 rounds.

Parker's champion bets for the PFL 2025 semifinals

Welterweight: Thad Jean vs. Jason Jackson

Jean to triumph (+140). In the astir highly anticipated combat of the PFL World Tournament, erstwhile Bellator champion Jackson volition instrumentality connected homegrown PFL imaginable Jean. This combat volition travel down to whether Jackson tin crook this into a wrestling match. If helium tin successfully instrumentality and clasp Jean down for 15 minutes, Jackson volition triumph the fight. I don't spot it happening. Jean isn't arsenic good known, but helium has the quality to support takedowns and an underrated jiu-jitsu crippled to backmost it up. If this combat stays connected the feet, the vantage goes to Jean.

Featherweight: Jesus Pinedo vs. Gabriel Braga

Pinedo to triumph (-270).In the co-main event, is simply a trilogy combat betwixt Pinedo and Brada. Both fighters are amusive to ticker and ever looking for the finish. Pinedo avenged his 2023 PFL regular-season nonaccomplishment to Braga successful the featherweight title that season, and present they volition conscionable a 3rd clip with a spot successful the 2025 finals and a accidental astatine $500,000 connected the line. Braga is surely the much method striker, but I can't spell against the controlled chaos and KO powerfulness of Pinedo. Unless Braga tin utilize his jiu-jitsu to get Pinedo to the canvas, look for Pinedo to bull unreserved successful and crook this combat into a brawl.

Welterweight: Logan Storley vs. Masayuki Kikuiri

Storley to triumph wrong the distance. Sitting astatine a -1100 favorite, Storley volition beryllium looking to marque casual enactment of Kikuiri and determination connected to the finals. Storley should beryllium capable to predominate this combat without immoderate issues, arsenic Kikuiri struggled successful his past combat against a lesser opponent. This is simply a large accidental for Storley to not lone triumph but get a decorativeness and marque a connection heading into the finals.

Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Tae Kyun Kim

Khaybulaev to triumph (-220). Kim looked exceptional successful his past combat against Nathan Kelly, getting the submission triumph and putting the part connected notice. However, Kelly is not Khaybulaev. The likelihood are a batch person for this semifinal than expected due to the fact that Khaybulaev is coming disconnected a two-year layoff and his archetypal 2025 tourney show against Jeremy Kennedy was little than stellar. But I spot him bouncing backmost present and controlling the combat with his ascendant wrestling.