The MMA Daily

We have ourselves a banger in the Middleweight division, as Joaquin Buckley takes on Abdul Razak Alhassan. Looking to make it two straight and four in his last five, Buckley has a chance to elevate himself into a bigger fight. With legitimate knockout power, Buckley has finished ten of his thirteen victories via knockout. Meanwhile, Alhassan comes into this fight off a stunning seventeen second knockout over Alessio Di Chirico. A much need victory, as Alhassan had dropped three straight prior and was at risk of being cut.

As for a prediction, I have Alhassan winning. While I’m not confident in this prediction, mainly due to the fact that I expect this to be a short night for either fighter, it’s Alhassan who I’m siding with. The reason behind that is, Alhassan is at his best when he isn’t fending off takedowns. Something which has plagued him during this losing streak and has caused him to gas out sooner. Against a fellow striker in Buckley, the Ghana native won’t have to keep his stance low or worry about the threat of a takedown. Obviously the worry is within the striking power of Buckley, but I believe his aggressiveness opens him to being countered. The last notion I’ll make, and this isn’t out of disrespect, the three opponents Buckley defeated, are a combined 4-7. Two of them, aren’t even on the roster anymore. So with all that said, I predict that Alhassan wins this fight via knockout.