Two Americans seeking to return to the win column fight in the preliminary rounds of UFC 282. Veteran mixed martial artist Chris Curtis will seek to upset the odds when he fights fellow countryman Joaquin Buckley whose impressive winning streak was finally ended in Paris. The 3-round Middleweight bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, will be on the preliminary card of the UFC event. The loser of this bout will have the misfortune of ending the year with a two-match skid, which will definitely motivate the fighters to give us an explosive encounter.
MMA: UFC Middleweight
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada
Date: 10.12.2022, 04:00
Where to watch: ESPN2/ESPN+
Chris Curtis
The South Paw is also a professional boxer, as evident in his mixed martial arts. He has fought in many US and Canadian regional promotions since 2009 when he went pro, including competing in the Professional Fighters League (PFL)—finally making it into the UFC in 2021 when he was drafted to replace Deron Winn against Phil Hawes. “The Action Man” took his opportunity with gusto, knocking out Hawes in the first round to announce himself in the promotion. Not relenting, he went on to win a Performance of the Night bonus award with a TKO of Brendan Allen in December of that year. Three wins out of three until he ran into Jack Hermansson in July 2022 and his win streak was snapped by arguably the best fighter he had faced. The unanimous decision loss came just one month after Curtis defeated Rodolfo Vieira at UFC on ESPN: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot. The boxer with a 2-0 pro record is also a good scrambler with decent jiu-jitsu.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 35
- Height: 5’ 10”
- Weight: 185”
- Reach: 75”
- Record: 29-9-0
Joaquin Buckley
Buckley went to the enemy territory last time out and had his three-match streak snapped by Imavov Nassourdine. The 28-year-old from St. Louis, Missouri, is an alumnus of both Bellator MMA and Legacy Fighting Alliance before joining the UFC in 2020, marking his debut with a loss to Kevin Holland. ‘New Mansa’ stunned Impa Ksanganay, in his next fight with a knockout that earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award. The knockout reel went viral on social media and even made it into a Kanye West music video. The former Welterweight earned a further three Performance of the Night awards with the latest being his TKO of Albert Duraev in June. At UFC 282, the explosive finisher hustles back into the cage, looking to do the same thing he’s done each time he’s suffered a loss in his career: get right back into the win column.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 28
- Height: 5’ 8”
- Weight: 185”
- Reach: 76”
- Total fights: 19
- Record: 15-5-0
Betting Odds
Young Buckley is the clear favorite with the oddsmakers in this potentially explosive bout. Curtis is listed at 2.40 odds to win, while Buckley is at 1.58 odds on Bet 365. Betting yes that the fight go the distance is priced at 2.55 odds on Betway. Buckley to win by KO or TKO is listed at 2.85 odds on 1xbet. A Curtis win by knockout goes for 3.8 odds, also on 1xbet.