Although it wasn’t what many were expecting, Joaquin Buckley managed to get the job done by winning a split decision over Abdul Razak Alhassan. This victory opened the UFC Vegas 48. main card.
Buckley showed off his striking acumen, but it was his ability to mix in a few takedowns and really put the pressure on Alhassan that allowed him to sway the judges to ultimately secure the victory. After three tough rounds, two judges awarded Buckley victory with 29-28 points. The third official handed Alhassan an opposition 29-28 scorecard.
That was enough for Buckely, as he celebrated with viral self-defense guru Commander Dale Brown in his corner for the fight.
“I knew exactly what to expect,” Buckley said. Buckley said, “I ensured that every eye was open. Dale was my man, so I took him with me to promote the fight. It was an awful war. I just plan on getting better.”
Buckley kept Alhassan out of his reach and was very active right from the beginning. Buckley also managed to mix in a couple of takedowns during the first round, which kept Alhassan off balance as he attempted to find an opening for his biggest punches.
That was a smart move because every time Alhassan was able to load up on his punches, he was headhunting, with several shots coming close to connecting flush with Buckley’s chin.
As action progressed into round 2, Buckley continued to mix his grappling with Alhassan’s wrestling and Alhassan seemed to be losing steam. He resigned himself to backing towards the cage. That allowed Buckley to pick and choose his shots for better accuracy, although he still had to be careful whenever Alhassan decided to explode forward.
Buckley’s decision to wrestle was a big part of his game plan, but Alhassan finally began to counter in the third round as he reversed positions, which allowed him to rain down shots from the top. Alhassan began to apply heavy pressure on Buckley as he shifted into survival mode. But Buckley managed to stay alive until the last horn.
The result was razor close, however Buckley did enough through the first two rounds to ensure he left Las Vegas with a 4-1 record in his past five UFC fights.
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