Joaquin Buckley and Nursulton Ruziboev meet Saturday within the co-feature bout of UFC on ESPN 56 from Enterprise Heart 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 rivals with middleweight backgrounds. … Buckley has been on a tear since shifting right down to the welterweight division final yr. He has gained three straight, together with a head kick knockout of Andre Fialho, a unanimous resolution over Alex Morono, and an enormous floor and pound end of Vicente Luque. … Ruziboev remains 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, trying to extends his successful 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 preventing at middleweight for his first two UFC appearances, Ruziboev will likely be dropping down a division on brief discover to take a shot at ranked opposition in Buckley.
Ruziboev hasn’t made 170 kilos since 2021, so will probably be fascinating to see how the load minimize 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 in the end have a tough time selecting in opposition to Buckley on this spot.
Apart from preventing in entrance of his hometown crowd, Buckley additionally has extra expertise with regards to preventing higher-level opposition on brief discover.
Add within the apparent intangibles of Ruziboev’s weight minimize, 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) by way of 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, how you can 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 stay 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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