Joaquin Buckley It is Nursulton Ruziboev face off on Saturday in the joint UFC on ESPN 56 fight at the Enterprise Center in St. Check out this quick summary of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev UFC in ESPN 56 preview
Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and Ruziboev (34-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) face off in this welterweight co-feature between competitors with middleweight experience. … Buckley has been in a slump since dropping to the welterweight division last year. He won three straight, including a head knockout of André Fialho, a unanimous decision over Alex Morono and a great ground and pound submission of Vicente Luque. … Ruziboev is still new to the UFC, but he has stopped both opponents he has faced in the 185-pound division. This will be his first fight in the 170-pound division in the UFC and he is looking to extend his winning streak to three.
Expert Pick and Joaquin Buckley vs Nursulton Ruziboev Prediction
The co-main event in St. Louis features an impromptu welterweight showdown between Buckley and Ruziboev.
Despite fighting at middleweight in his first two UFC appearances, Ruziboev will drop down a division at short notice to try and face Buckley-ranked opponents.
Ruziboev hasn’t gained 170 pounds since 2021, so it will be interesting to see how the weight reduction will affect the 30-year-old Uzbek, given his incredibly tall frame.
#TheSouthpawReport for #UFCStLouis:
Nursulton Ruziboev, who faces Joaquin Buckley, is 0-0 against UFC southpaws.
I was only able to find 1 regional sample of it in front of SP (around 2017). Ruziboev showed the classic front-side kick and power-side dependence in the open stance: pic.twitter.com/lmeITuXQ0Z
-Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) May 9, 2024
As seen in the southpaw report above, Ruziboev also hasn’t faced a southpaw since roughly 2017, but shows the tools to replicate the success Kevin Holland and Alessio Di Chirico had against Buckely. That said, I ultimately have a hard time picking against Buckley in this situation.
In addition to fighting in front of his hometown crowd, Buckley also has more experience when it comes to fighting high-level opponents on short notice.
Add in the obvious intangibles of Ruziboev’s weight reduction and I’m officially on Buckley’s side to find closure against his undersized opponent in the third round.
Joaquin Buckley vs Nursulton Ruziboev odds
Oddsmakers and the public slightly favor the American, listing Buckley (-134) and Ruziboev (+110) via FanDuel. Buckley has been favored for four straight fights, going 3-1 in that span. Ruziboev was a nearly 2:1 underdog in his UFC debut and flipped the odds in his second appearance. He won both fights by stoppage.
Joaquin Buckley vs Nursulton Ruziboev, start time, how to watch
As the co-main event, Buckley and Ruziboev are expected to walk to the Octagon around 9:40 pm ET (6:40 pm PT). The fight is broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN+.
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 56.
For a more in-depth analysis of Dan Tom, check out his weekly show, “The Protect Your Neck podcast.”
