The octagon is all set for this weekend’s fight night, with the matchups looking bonkers. In the main card, there is the welterweight bout of Alex Morono vs. Joaquin Buckley. The fight is set for October 7, 2023, at the UFC APEX stadium in Las Vegas. Both fighters will be fighting for the second time this year.
Lately, the welterweight division has been in the spotlight, as this division has some insane upcoming matchups. Keen fans are eagerly waiting for these fights to take place one after the other.
Joaquin has displayed his striking ability before, and although his strike accuracy is lower as compared to his opponent, Morono, his punches and kicks cause damage. Judging by these fighters’ statistics, it’s the complete opposite of what they have expertise in. But comparing how they’ve performed in their previous fights, it’s safe to say that we’ve got a striker and a grappler.
Alex Morono vs. Joaquin Buckley stats
Stats | Alex Morono | Joaquin Buckley |
Wins | 23 | 16 |
Losses | 8 | 6 |
Height | 5’10” | 5’8” |
Division | Welterweight | Welterweight |
Reach | 72” | 76” |
Age | 33 | 29 |
Alex Morono Vs. Joaquin Buckley prediction
Alex ‘The Great White’ Morono has a record of 23-8, his last fight being against Tim Means, which he won via submission. His stats indicate that his striking accuracy is at 42%, which is 10% more than that of Buckley, with 5.2 significant strikes landed per minute.
As his nickname, Morono is an exceptional striker and has a huge gas tank making his takedown defense of 50% impressive, besides being ready at all times to take the fight in a short time notice.
His enthusiasm to take up fights in a short time landed him a fight against UFC Hall of Famer Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, who knocked him out in the first round. He particularly waits for his opponents to shoot so he can capitalize on their mistakes.
Joaquin ‘New Mansa’ Buckley has a record of 16-6; his last fight was against Andre Fialho, who defeated the Portuguese with a KO in the second round. This southpaw can hit like a truck, having won 75% of his fights via KO/TKO. Even with a low striking accuracy of 32%, he still manages to have 3.76 significant strikes landed per minute.
One of the craziest knockouts of ALL TIME 🤯@Newmansa94‘s coming for another finish on Saturday’s #UFCVegas80 main card! pic.twitter.com/wQPO1LvL3i
— UFC (@ufc) October 2, 2023
In 2020, MMA fans all over the world witnessed his world-class striking when he knocked out Impa Kasanganay with a wild spinning back-kick in the middleweight division, which was one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history and got him the recognition he deserved. This fighter isn’t afraid to seize any opportunity he sees.
He’s definitely got the mixed ability to strike and grapple which might just be a plus point for him. So in this matchup, Joaquin Buckley will win against Alex Morono via KO/TKO.