Joaquin Buckley and Nursulton Ruziboev meet Saturday within the co-feature bout of UFC on ESPN 56 from Enterprise Middle in St. Louis. Take a look at this fast breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev UFC on ESPN 56 preview
Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and Ruziboev (34-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) conflict on this welterweight co-feature between opponents with middleweight backgrounds. … Buckley has been on a tear since transferring right down to the welterweight division final 12 months. He has gained three straight, together with a head kick knockout of Andre Fialho, a unanimous determination over Alex Morono, and an enormous floor and pound end of Vicente Luque. … Ruziboev continues to be new to the UFC, however has stopped each opponents he’s confronted at 185 kilos. This combat will likely be his first at 170 kilos within the UFC, seeking to extends his profitable streak to 3.
Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev professional decide, prediction
The co-main occasion in St. Louis options an impromptu welterweight showdown between Buckley and Ruziboev.
Regardless of combating at middleweight for his first two UFC appearances, Ruziboev will likely be dropping down a division on quick discover to take a shot at ranked opposition in Buckley.
Ruziboev hasn’t made 170 kilos since 2021, so it is going to be attention-grabbing to see how the load lower will have an effect on the 30-year-old Uzbek, given his insanely tall body.
🧵#TheSouthpawReport for #UFCStLouis:
Nursulton Ruziboev, who faces Joaquin Buckley, is 0-0 in opposition to UFC-level southpaws.
Was solely capable of finding 1 regional pattern of him reverse a SP (circa 2017). Ruziboev confirmed basic lead-side pawing and energy aspect dependency in open stance: pic.twitter.com/lmeITuXQ0Z
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) Might 9, 2024
As seen within the southpaw report above, Ruziboev additionally hasn’t confronted a southpaw since roughly 2017, however exhibits the instruments to duplicate the success that each Kevin Holland and Alessio Di Chirico had in opposition to Buckely. That stated, I finally have a tough time choosing in opposition to Buckley on this spot.
Apart from combating in entrance of his hometown crowd, Buckley additionally has extra expertise in relation to combating higher-level opposition on quick discover.
Add within the apparent intangibles of Ruziboev’s weight lower, and I’ll formally aspect with Buckley to discover a end on his diminished foe by spherical 3.
Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev odds
The oddsmakers and the general public are barely favoring the American, itemizing Buckley (-134) and Ruziboev (+110) through FanDuel. Buckley has been a favourite in 4 consecutive fights, going 3-1 in that stretch. Ruziboev was a close to 2:1 underdog in his UFC debut, and flipped the chances in his second look. He gained each fights by stoppage.
Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev begin time, watch
Because the co-main occasion, Buckley and Ruziboev are anticipated to make their stroll to the octagon round 9:40 p.m. ET (6:40 p.m. PT). The combat broadcasts reside on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC on ESPN 56.
For extra detailed evaluation from Dan Tom, take a look at his weekly present, “The Defend Ya’ Neck Podcast.”
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