Tomorrow night in the featured prelim of UFC 307, we are going to see a fun matchup in the welterweight division. Former title challenger and ninth ranked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (17-7-1) will be taking on surging 11th ranked contender Joaquin Buckley (19-6).
Starting with Buckley, he has really come on strong since making the move to welterweight. After back-to-back losses at 185 to Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis, Buckley dropped to welterweight and he’s been unbeaten since. 4-0 at 170 including a finish over Vicente Luque. In his last fight, he took on the dangerous Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC St. Louis and picked up a big decision win.
Standing across from him tomorrow is fan-favorite Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Wonderboy is looking to bounce back. Last December, he took on Shavkat Rakhmonov and just had no answer for his grappling and he was submitted in the second round. That loss came after Wonderboy’s impressive TKO over Kevin Holland.
Wonderboy is 3-3 in his last six and it’s easy to see how the fights have played out. When fighters strike with him, Wonderboy has won. When fighters just purely grapple him, they’ve won. It’ll be interesting to see Buckley’s game plan at UFC 307.
UFC 307 Prediction
If this fight was a couple of years ago, I’d have no doubt in my mind as to who would win. Not just talking about skills, but talking about fighting style. Joaquin Buckley loved to stand and trade relying on his speed, explosiveness, and power. That style plays right into what Wonderboy Thompson wants.
Wonderboy is one of the most complex puzzles in the UFC’s welterweight division in terms of his striking. He’s one of the most decorated strikers in the history of the division for a good reason. All that being said, Buckley’s new found wrestling and grappling can really play here.
He’s incredibly strong and his speed / explosiveness plays great into timing takedowns. This fight is going to come down to Joaquin Buckley. If he tries to stand and trade with Wonderboy or if he’s not able to get inside, he’s going to get frustrated and outpointed for three rounds.
However, if he’s able to use a lot of forward pressure while leaning on his wrestling, there’s an easy path to victory at UFC 307. This is a really tough one for me to call, but I’m ever so slightly going to lean on the wrestling of Buckley to get a decision win.
Prediction: Joaquin Buckley by Decision