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Get ready for UFC fight night with three exciting main events, starting with a men’s middleweight bout before heading into the co-main event of women’s flyweight. The highly anticipated Kamaru Usman vs Joaquin Buckley welterweight main event fishes the night.
Prepare for the action to take off at 10 PM ET, but not before reviewing our fight night picks and deciding whether they’re something you want to fade or follow!
Two of tonight’s main card fights feature an all-American matchup beginning with the men’s middleweight bout between Edmen Shahbazyan (14-5-0) and Andre Petroski (13-4-0). On paper, this one is as close as possible, with both fighters boasting similar matchup stats while each coming off a fresh win. Shahbazyan stands 2” taller at 6’ 2” than Petroski, with an extra 1” arm reach and 3” leg reach heading into this one.
Out of Shahbazyan’s 14 victories, 86% have been from KO/TKO, while Andre Petroski boasts a more balanced record with 31% wins by KO/TKO, 31% by submission and 38% by decision. Shahbazyan looks to end his fights quickly (7:01 average fight length), dishing out 3.78 significant strikes per minute (50%) versus Petroski’s 2.89 per minute (50%). When it comes to grappling, Petroski averages around 3.38 takedowns per 15 minutes (50% accuracy) compared to Shahbazyan’s 1.97 per 15 minutes (38% accuracy), while also boasting a higher takedown defense than his opponent at 85%.
This one will likely be decided based on whether the fight stays standing or is taken to the canvas, but based on his impressive KO/TKO percentage, Edmen Shahbazyan will take the win from a crucial KO/TKO.
The women’s flyweight co-main event also features two Americans, with #7 fighter Rose Namajunas (14-7-0) taking on #11 fighter Mirada Maverick (17-5-0). Namajunas is slightly favored, although she is coming off a fresh loss, while Maverick enters the octagon off a win. Namajunas stands 2” taller than Maverick at 5’ 5”, although only holds a 1.5” leg reach advantage.
Both fighters are grapplers, with Namajunas repping a 43% win-by-submission rate compared to Maverick’s 47% win-by-submission rate. Another 43% of Namajunas’s wins are by decision, much like Maverick’s 47%, so this fight likely won’t end from a KO/TKO either way. Despite the favored grappling tactics of both fighters, Rose showcases 3.71 significant strikes landed per minute (42%) compared to Maverick’s 3.39 landed per minute (45%). Namajunas absorbs slightly more strikes per minute than her opponent at 3.48, although both showcase a 60%+ striking defense.
Maverick averages 2.39 takedowns per 15 minutes (41% accuracy) against Namajunas’s 1.46 (50% accuracy), although Namajunas reps a higher 61% takedown defense overall. Rose Namajunas may be the favorite in this matchup with her higher defense, but Miranda Maverick can win by submitting her opponent.
For tonight’s featured welterweight main event, we have #5 Nigerian fighter Kamaru Usman (20-4-0) taking on #7 American fighter Joaquin Buckley (21-6-0). Usman enters the ring off a recent loss, while Buckley comes in off a fresh win. Although the Nigerian stands 2” taller than the American at 6’, he only boasts a 1” leg reach advantage as we head into this one.
Joaquin Buckley boasts a lethal 71% KO/TKO win rate over his 21 wins, while Usman reps 45% of his wins by KO/TKO and 50% by decision. Despite Buckley averaging a fight time of nearly 7 minutes less than his Nigerian opponent, Usman lands 4.36 significant strikes per minute (52%) versus Buckley’s 4.22 per minute (37%). Buckley however, absorbs slightly more significant strikes than his opponent at 3.13 per minute with a 59% defense.
While Usman has rarely won by submitting his opponents (5%), Buckley has never won by submission, and with the Nigerian showcasing 2.82 takedowns per 15 minutes (45% accuracy) and an 89% takedown defense, Usman is the stronger grappler. That said, this fight will likely come down to a striking match, leading us to believe American Joaquin Buckley will take the win by KO/TKO to continue his impressive knockout win record.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.