A flaw in his game was exposed in the process, but he never gave up until the bitter end.

It will be Usman's first fight since a short-notice middleweight loss to Khamzat Chimaev in October, 2023, and his first in the welterweight division since March of the same year.

The co-main event also needed the cards, as former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas earned a highly competitive unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 over Miranda Maverick.

Malcolm Wellmaker gave the Atlanta crowd what it wanted at UFC on ESPN 69 with a devastating one-punch knockout of Kris Moutinho.

In an absolutely bizarre situation, Rodolfo Bellato and Paul Craig left without a decision thanks to an accidental foul.