Michael Bisping gives his Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin | MMA News
Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman returns to the octagon against Joaquin Buckley in the UFC Atlanta foremost occasion.
Usman (20-4) final fought in October 2023, shedding to the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev via majority choice in a short-notice battle in the middleweight division. Entering the battle with Buckley at State Farm Arena, Usman has misplaced his final three fights. The 38 year-old cannot afford one other defeat.
Buckley (21-6) will convey a six-fight successful streak with him to Atlanta. He’s coming off a TKO win over Colby Covington in December and appears to choose up the largest win over his profession over the previous titleholder.
Former middleweight champion and UFC analyst Michael Bisping gave his UFC Atlanta foremost occasion prediction and believes Usman could possibly be going through an uphill climb.
“Usman is going up against Joaquin Buckley. Buckley is a monster,” Bisping mentioned on his YouTube channel. “Joaquin Buckley is only 31 years-old. He’s 5’8, and the man’s a little ball of explosive muscle. He hits like a truck. He’s extremely agile.”
“He’s got flying knees. He’s got wrestling. He’s strong. He’s mentally strong. He talks a lot of sh*t as well, and he’s not afraid to mix it up,” Bisping continued.
Buckley is youthful and on the rise. Usman is, without query, in the twilight of his profession. Bisping believes it could possibly be a powerful night time for the previous champion.
“It’s a really tough fight for Kamaru Usman,” Bisping mentioned. “He’s been very, very honest that his body is beaten up after years and years of competing at the highest level.”
“The man is 38 years-old, and all that greatness comes at a price,” continued Bisping. “We always say, ‘You don’t have two peaks.’ What comes up must come down. You don’t go up, come down and then go up again. It’s very, very rare that we see that.”
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Bisping believes Buckley has the sting in putting, velocity and willpower. While he give Usman the benefit in the wrestling division, Bisping in the end picked Buckley to win.
“When you look at the striking, I’ve got to lean toward Buckley. He’s probably the faster, more explosive, more diverse and agile striker. When you look at conditioning, the man is young. He’s hungry. He wants what Kamaru Usman had,” Bisping mentioned.
“I think he (Usman) is going to have a real hard time catching him. He’s going to have a hard time catching him on the feet. He’s going to have a tough time taking him down, and maybe even a harder time holding him down.
“This is a powerful one for Kamaru Usman and I’ve bought to lean toward Buckley in this one,” he continued. “I do not know if Buckley goes to knockout Kamaru Usman. But the very fact that he is so younger, he is so motivated, and he is athletically in his prime. I believe it is going to be a huge drawback for Kamaru Usman.”
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