Preview: UFC 282 Prelims

Middleweights

Joaquin Buckley (15-5, 5-3 UFC) vs. #15 MW | Chris Curtis (29-9, 3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Buckley (-155), Curtis (+135)

Buckley’s UFC tenure sure has been a ride. “New Mansa” figured to be a prospect to watch upon debuting with the promotion in 2020. While his game was relatively straightforward, he combined knockout power with aggression and a surprising amount of cardio, but there was a worry he would get lost in the shuffle after losing to Kevin Holland on short notice. Instead, Buckley became one of the most talked-about fighters in the sport after his second UFC bout, which saw him uncork a spinning back kick on Impa Kasanganay that remains one of the most impressive highlights in mixed martial arts history. To their credit, both Buckley and the UFC struck while the iron was hot and kept him both active and prominently featured, but a few months later, he was surprisingly knocked out by Alessio Di Chirico and has struggled to recapture that lost buzz. Despite that, Buckley has been quite successful in rebounding from the Di Chirico loss. While he has not evolved much in the ensuing few years, he was riding a three-fight winning streak until his September loss against Nassourdine Imavov, which at least saw Buckley stage a third-round comeback. He does not get much of a step back here, however, as Curtis is one of the tougher outs in the middleweight division. Curtis’ UFC shot was far from a guarantee. “The Action Man” was already a well-traveled vet before showing out on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, when he was denied a contract for reasons that still are not particularly clear. Curtis kept up an active schedule afterwards, even through multiple reconsidered retirements, finally getting the long-overdue UFC call in late 2021 and quickly making up for lost time. Within a month of his debut, Curtis had already strung together knockouts of Phil Hawes and Brendan Allen to affirm himself as one of the Top 20 or so middleweights on the roster. After a win over Rodolfo Vieira in June, Curtis’ hot streak finally came to an end against Jack Hermansson in a late-notice spot less than a month later. Even so, Curtis is still a dangerous and wily veteran who picks up everything his opponent leaves on the table. Curtis should find his way back to the win column in this one. Buckley finally showed some signs of progression against Imavov, but he remains a defensively open fighter who usually fights behind the same few ideas. Without the clear size disadvantage that plagued him against Hermansson, Curtis should be able to time Buckley with some big counters and separate himself on the scorecards, if not just finish him outright. The pick is Curtis via decision.

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