A massive undercard bout at UFC Atlanta was scratched just days before Saturday’s event.

UFC Atlanta is headlined by a pivotal welterweight matchup between top contenders Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley, taking place this Saturday at State Farm Arena. The fight marks Usman’s long-awaited return to the welterweight division, and his first Octagon appearance overall in almost two full years.

The card also marks the UFC’s long-awaited return to Atlanta after a six-year absence, dating back to UFC 236. The event featured a UFC Hall of Fame fight between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum.

UFC Atlanta could make more MMA memories this weekend. But just days before the event, the card took a big hit.

UFC Atlanta takes a big hit as matchup between exciting bantamweights canceled

As first reported by MMA publication L’Arena MMA, bantamweight Charles Jourdain was forced to withdraw from his upcoming fight with Ricky Simon due to an eye injury. As of this writing, it’s uncertain if the UFC matchmakers will attempt to find a last-second replacement to face Simon at UFC Atlanta.

Jourdain’s withdrawal comes at an unfortunate time, after a successful bantamweight debut in November at UFC Edmonton. He defeated Victor Henry by second-round submission after making the full-time move to the 135 lb division.

Jourdain traded wins and losses in the UFC’s featherweight division, earning victories over the likes of Kron Gracie and Andre Ewell. A win over a top bantamweight like Simon would’ve moved Jourdain closer to a Top 15 spot.

Simon was set to return to the Octagon for the first time since a devastating knockout over Javid Basharat at UFC Seattle in February. The knockout win snapped a three-fight losing streak.

Charles Jourdain vs. Ricky Simon scratched due to a Jourdain eye injury

Despite the loss of Jourdain vs. Simon, UFC Atlanta remains an intriguing card with an important main event booking between Usman and Buckley. The UFC Atlanta main event winner could potentially earn a title shot for their next fight against either Jack Della Maddalena or Islam Makhachev.

Maddalena earned the UFC welterweight title by defeating Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 last month. Makhachev will vacate the lightweight title later this month for a move to welterweight.

Buckley has been on a roll since moving down to 170 lbs, earning recent wins over the likes of Colby Covington, Stephen Thompson, and Vicente Luque. He enters UFC Atlanta on a six-fight winning streak.

Monday, ESPN released the trailer for its latest 30 for 30 documentary film, Empire Skate.

“Empire Skate chronicles the colorful rise and enduring influence of New York skateboarding culture–through the global phenomenon of Supreme–while highlighting intimate portraits of the characters who breathed life into that world,” reads ESPN’s release. “From the highs of breakout film success and the creation of a brand and movement, to the lows of fractured families and the loss of close friends, it is a style-and-substance trip through a unique moment when multiple trends converged on one city to create something timeless.”

The film features Tony Hawk, Alex Corporan, Steven Cales, Chris Keeffe, Jeff Pang, Mike Hernandez, Peter Bici, and Ryan Hickey.

The film is directed by documentary filmmaker Josh Swade, who is perhaps best known to 30 for 30 audiences for his work on There’s No Place Like Home, about Kansas Jayhawks basketball, One & Done, about John Calipari’s Kentucky run, and Arthur & Johnnie, about Arthur Ashe and his younger brother.

“Skate shops have always been sacred spaces for me—places of creativity, community, and culture,” said Swade. “When I moved to New York in the mid-90s, Supreme wasn’t just a store, it was a magnet for a movement that reshaped downtown and radiated far beyond. With Empire Skate, we wanted to honor that energy and tell the story of how a small skate shop helped fuel a global cultural shift. This film is as much about identity and expression as it is about skating, and I’m proud to help bring that story to the screen.”

The film will premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival on June 12 and then on ESPN on June 30 at 9 p.m. ET. Following the linear premiere, the film will be available to stream on ESPN+, as well as on Disney+ and Hulu.

Here’s a full synopsis via ESPN:

“Empire Skate” tells the story of 1990’s New York City skate culture that inspired the global brand Supreme. It is the scene of a rare, energetic convergence of hip-hop, street art, dance, and culture. Kids who grew up in the 1980s as outsiders, going against the grain, bring their own element to this culture: skateboarding. Many of them fleeing hard lives of dysfunction and family desperation, they turn the forbidding landscape of the city into their own personal skate park – setting the stage for a movement that would grow to transform fashion and sports. 

While Southern California remains the mass-market capital of skateboarding, this New York City crew creates their own style. Bolstered by charismatic kids like Harold Hunter and enthusiastic entrepreneurs, fledgling skate shops begin to appear across the city. They tap into a NYC skating vibe that is faster, more dangerous, and more improvisational than its West Coast counterpart, and the style echoes that difference: SkateNYC and Zoo York set the tone for this rise, and then another brand is birthed that changes the scene forever. 

Supreme, fronted by the mysterious businessman James Jebbia, takes NYC by storm. Playing by its own rules of marketing, store design, and customer service (including refusing to serve those who don’t seem to fit its image and vibe), Supreme becomes a status symbol on the streets of Manhattan – and beyond. It becomes a global phenomenon, with buyers arriving from as far as Asia, pockets bursting with cash, eager to buy a piece of the lifestyle. 

The rise pulls the NYC skateboarding crew into other areas of pop culture. The Larry Clark and Harmony Korine indie film Kids is a surprise hit that features several NYC skateboarders including an aspiring young actor named Justin Pierce. They find themselves on a rocket ship of fame that is impossible to navigate, and Pierce commits suicide.  

Tragedy and camaraderie, changing trends in fashion and entertainment, and the constant evolution of culture continue to transform the NYC skateboarding landscape. Through it all, Supreme maintains a powerful hold, and those for whom skateboarding was an indispensable part of their lives, the bonds remain forever.

The race for the number one pick in the MLB Draft has been wide open. Since the college baseball season started, I have written about at least half a dozen names that could go with the number 1 pick in the draft. I thought I had all my bases covered, but a new contender has risen to the forefront, left handed pitcher Kade Anderson from LSU.

As a draft eligible sophomore who had one good but not great year at LSU, Anderson was under the radar heading into the season. There were bigger names with longer resumes like Jamie Arnold and Tyler Bremner. However, Anderson has out-pitched both of those guys while playing in a tougher conference. He has been the strikeout king of the SEC.

A couple years ago there was another under the radar LSU pitcher who’s dominant run made him the number one overall pick. His name was Paul Skenes, one of the best pitchers in baseball these days. Anderson could be the second LSU pitcher in 3 years to go 1-1.

However, Anderson is a very different profile to Skenes. Skenes was a massive right hander with triple-digit velocity. Anderson is none of those things. He is a lean 6’2 southpaw who’s fastball works more in the low-mid 90’s. However, he is extremely polished and has a great feel for spin.

Some scouts have compared his clean delivery and aptitude to Max Fried according to Baseball America. That is lofty praise, as Fried is a true ace and one of the best pitchers in baseball. However, with the number one pick those are the kind of guys you want.

Despite not having an 100 MPH fastball, Anderson has been a strikeout machine in the SEC. He has 163 strikeouts in 103 innings this year. Along with all the strikeouts, Anderson has done a good job limiting walks, issuing just 2.4 free passes per nine innings. He has had a bit of a home run problem this season, but with all his strengths, teams will overlook that as home run rate tends to fluctuate a bit year over year.

Everything about his arsenal is so advanced and polished. His fastball doesn’t have elite velocity, but it plays much better than the 92-94 MPH range it sits in. This is because it has excellent carry, spin and shape. It gets on hitters very quickly.

Anderson has a great feel for spin as well. Last year he threw a big curveball, which was a signature pitch for him. However, he doesn’t throw that as much because he developed a slider that is even better. He is already showing he has aptitude for a number of breaking ball shapes, something teams like. Despite relying more on that slider, he still has his big hook in his back pocket.

If that is not enough, he also has a changeup that gets plus grades. With that mix, you see the vision for four pitches that are at least above average. Also, with his aptitude and feel to spin he could add even more clubs to his bag.

If you want a guy who can move through the Minor Leagues quickly, Anderson is your guy. He is polished, productive and a whiff generator. There are more exciting upside plays in the draft, but Anderson is one of the safest guys on the board. With the Nationals needing rotation help quickly, you would have to think they are considering the LSU lefty.

As soon as Julianna Peña tapped Kayla Harrison‘s back in the penultimate fight of UFC 316 to signal she had had enough of Harrison’s Kimura lock, the Newark, New Jersey, crowd cheered its approval and all eyes turned to future UFC Hall of Fame bantamweight Amanda Nunes, who was sitting cageside with her family.

“Come on up here, Amanda!” Harrison yelled in Nunes’ direction during her postfight interview. “This is the next fight.”

She’s right, of course. If all goes to plan, Nunes will come out of retirement to be Harrison’s first title challenger in what will instantly be a fight of the year candidate — in whatever year that might be.

A similar story played out in the final fight of the night, after Merab Dvalishvili frustrated and ultimately finished fan favorite Sean O’Malley with a guillotine in the third round of their men’s bantamweight title rematch.

Cory Sandhagen, just about the only current UFC bantamweight contender Dvalishvili hasn’t beaten, smiled from the audience as the champion called for him to be his next target. Sandhagen has been in the UFC since 2018, but it appears his time has come to challenge for a title.

Let’s take a deeper look at those championship scenarios and possible next steps for many of the fighters featured at UFC 316.

Merab Dvalishvili, men’s bantamweight

Who should be next: Cory Sandhagen

The UFC doesn’t always make matchups on fight night, but it’s nice when it does — especially an obvious one like this. Sandhagen has taken a long route to his first official title fight, and he gets some blame for that. He has come up short in big moments, but if you look at his body of work — not to mention his obvious talent — it’s kind of wild that it has taken this long for him to get here. Now that he is here, though, he has a sizable champion to try to take down. Sandhagen knows what he’s up against. He said Saturday that he has to get a knockout against Dvalishvili. That’s a lot easier said than done. Sandhagen is one of the biggest knockout threats in the division, but he would need to capitalize on any small moment Dvalishvili gives him.

Wild card: Petr Yan

If he beats Marcus McGhee on July 26 in Abu Dhabi, Yan will be right there for a chance to reclaim the belt he lost in 2022. His obvious problem is that he lost a non-competitive fight to Dvalishvili in 2023, but that doesn’t mean Yan can never get a second chance at the championship. He would have to look amazing against McGhee and still need the Sandhagen matchup to fall through to get a title shot, though.

Sean O’Malley, men’s bantamweight

There is no obvious next opponent for Sean O’Malley after losing back-to-back title challenges to Merab Dvalishvili. Elsa/Getty ImagesWho should be next: José Aldo

This is the tough one. There is no obvious path forward right now for O’Malley after two consecutive defeats, so a recently retired Aldo is a nonobvious answer. I respect Aldo’s choice to say he’s done, but let’s also acknowledge that a lot of us weren’t happy with the way the UFC matchmade him during his comeback. The potential of an O’Malley matchup might actually get him very excited, though. It would also get fans excited. The UFC would benefit by putting together an O’Malley fight people care about, and there’s a shortage of those. Aldo surprising everyone with another return to the Octagon would garner a ton of attention.

Wild card: Henry Cejudo

O’Malley has always wanted to fight Cejudo. They’re from the same area in Arizona. O’Malley has always found Cejudo’s way of promotion a bit … lame. O’Malley, 5-foot-11, loves fighting shorter opponents and likes to remind the 5-4 Cejudo just how much shorter he is. Cejudo has said he might be done, but you definitely get the sense he doesn’t want to finish his career on a fight-ending eye poke in a February loss to Song Yadong. If Cejudo decides to fight again, I could see both sides wanting this fight.

Kayla Harrison, women’s bantamweight

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Kayla Harrison submits Julianna Pena to become new UFC bantamweight champ

Kayla Harrison taps out Julianna Pena in Round 2 at UFC 316 to become the new women’s bantamweight champion.

Who should be next: Amanda Nunes

Easiest matchmaking of all time. We’ve basically been waiting for this since Harrison entered MMA. We always knew it would take a long time to happen, and there were moments along the way when it looked like it never would. Harrison signed with the PFL as a lightweight and said she’d never cut weight to bantamweight. Nunes lost to Peña when Harrison was looking to test free agency and join the UFC. Then Nunes retired. Still, the fight always seemed very much alive, and it doesn’t seem like it’s happening too late. It’ll be the biggest fight in women’s MMA in a very long time. By the time it happens, after all of the promotion, maybe it’ll be the biggest ever.

Kevin Holland, welterweight

Kevin Holland, blue gloves, stopped Vincent Luque, red gloves, with an anaconda choke to begin the UFC 316 main card. Vincent Carchietta/Imagn ImagesWho should be next: Carlos Prates

When Holland is focused (and competing at 170 pounds), he’s a title contender. He came within one scorecard of defeating the current champion, Jack Della Maddalena, in 2023. Holland has always said he doesn’t care about the belt and that he’s willing to bounce between welterweight and middleweight, but it seems that’s about to change. When he said he wants to stay at 170, it was music to my ears. He’s good at this weight class. When he fights at 185 pounds, I get the sense that sometimes even he doesn’t think he’s supposed to win. Prates looks like the real deal, despite a loss to Ian Machado Garry in his last bout. Holland vs. Prates would be absolutely fire.

Wild card: Stephen Thompson

They fought in 2022, and it was an instant classic. Thompson won, which means there’s incentive for Holland to get revenge. No one wants to see Thompson in a fight in which he’s constantly defending takedowns, and while Holland might jump on a choke here and there, he’s not going to spend an entire fight trying to take “Wonderboy” down. This fight would be good for both of their careers, not to mention the fans.

Mario Bautista, men’s bantamweight

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Who should be next: Marlon Vera

If Bautista feels a little slighted by fans and media after his win over Patchy Mix, it’s with good reason. It was probably inevitable that the majority of the prefight focus would surround his UFC 316 opponent, considering Mix was making a long-awaited move from Bellator MMA to the UFC. But still, Bautista was on a seven-fight win streak and coming off a victory over former UFC champion Jose Aldo. After how good he looked Saturday, I don’t expect him to be underappreciated again in the next one. He was supposed to face “Chito” Vera at UFC 316, but Vera withdrew because of an injury. Vera is a popular fighter; Bautista could benefit from adding to Vera’s name to his résumé, and I think Bautista would be favored to win.

Wild card: Song Yadong

Yadong is coming off a controversial victory over Henry Cejudo in which Cejudo was badly impacted by an accidental eye poke. Yadong is for real, though. And at this point, it’s hard to say Bautista isn’t as well. The UFC might choose to hang on to this fight, because it’s a good one that seems inevitable at some point. But if they chose to do it now, it would be a highly entertaining one.

Azamat Murzakanov, light heavyweight

Azamat Murzakanov, red gloves, is 5-0 in the UFC after finishing Brendson Riberio. Elsa/Getty ImagesWho should be next: Aleksandar Rakic

In terms of matchups, Murzakanov has been the victim of bad timing and bad luck. He’s 5-0 in the UFC, but he hasn’t faced the highest-ranked competition. At various times, he was booked to fight Volkan Oezdemir, Khalil Rountree Jr., Nikita Krylov and Johnny Walker, and every single one of those fights fell through. It’s time to get him a big jump in competition. He needs it, and this division needs it. Rakic has lost three in a row, but every loss has been to the very top of the division. He’s at a point where he needs to defend his spot, and that should be against Murzakanov.

Wild card: Jan Blachowicz

I love Blachowicz, as does the rest of the MMA world. His rise to UFC champion was unexpected at his age. That said, the 42-year-old is kind of sitting on a ranking at this point. He’s officially ranked No. 5 at light heavyweight by the UFC but hasn’t won a fight since 2022. His last win was against Rakic, who, as we just mentioned, has lost three in a row. If Blachowicz wants to maintain his spot in the rankings, this is the kind of fight he needs to accept.

On Sunday evening, On3’s Joe Tipton reported that Tyran Stokes, the #1 recruit in the class of 2026, is currently being hosted by the Kentucky Wildcats on an official visit.

This is obviously great news, as the Cats are expected to be a heavy player in his recruitment but had yet to host him for a visit after a previously scheduled trip was postponed in May.

The rising phenom also visited Louisville and Kansas in recent months. Arkansas and Kentucky are expected to be the other two schools heavily in the mix. But in the NIL era, nothing will be final until the pen hits the paper.

Whoever lands Stokes, they’ll be getting a freak athlete and one of the most exciting young players to watch, regardless of class. To make his recruitment even more intriguing for Wildcat fans, the 5-star prospect is a Louisville native. There’s no doubt that Stokes knows just how much college basketball means in the state of Kentucky,

There have always been lingering reclassification rumors surrounding the physically mature Stokes. However, he has continued to shut those rumors down, suggesting he will remain planted in the class of 2026.

At 6-foot-7, Stokes has the skill set to score the ball in a variety of ways, and his play-making ability is elite.

Mark Pope has continued to answer the bell for big moments so far in his young career as the head coach at the University of Kentucky. The recruitment of a homegrown unanimous #1 player will be yet another test for the former Wildcats.

This recruitment is just getting started and will feature the heavy hitters from college basketball, including the UK’s biggest rival and their former head coach, battling it out.

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