UFC on ESPN 37 Betting: Buckley vs. Duraev Predictions, Game Analysis and Odds (Saturday, June 18th, 2022)

Middleweight fighters Joaquin Buckley and Albert Duraev step foot inside the octagon against each other in a thrilling three-round clash that is an undercard of the UFC on ESPN 37, which pits Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett in the main event. Duraev and Buckley will meet on Saturday, June 18, at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The match is scheduled at 7:00PM ET and it is aired on pay-per-view and streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

One streak must go in this clash as Buckley is on a two-fight winning streak while Duraev is on a 10-game victory run. Expect both fighters to go all out for a win as their streaks are on the line and a possible rise above the middleweight contendership rankings. Aside from winning his bouts, Buckley has reaped three performance of the night honors, so expect another explosive appearance for the “New Mansa” but he has to level down a brick wall in Duraev, who extended his winning streak to 10 with a unanimous decision victory over Roman Kopylov in October 2021.

These fighters used to be training partners as well and most likely, they know each other’s moves. Because of this, both fighters might feel each other out in the first few minutes before one man attempts something explosive. UFC online odds suggest a close win for Buckley in this match as Duraev will try to slow down his foe with his grappling skills.

Joaquin Buckley

St Louis-born Buckley (14-4) rose into UFC fame after unleashing a jumping spinning back kick that knocked Impa Kasanganay out cold in their bout in October 2020. Buckley did not only get the Performance of the Night bonus but the video of the strike that UFC uploaded on Twitter was the most-liked, most-retweeted and most-viewed tweet in UFC history. The knockout also became the UFC’s most-watched Instagram video ever with over 17.8 million views. Buckley would earn two more Performance of the Night bonuses against Jordan Wright and Antonio Arroyo. His last match against Abdul Razak Alhassan lasted the full three rounds with Buckley winning via split decision. He will bring a two-fight win streak with him in his fight opposite Duraev.

Albert Duraev

Duraev (15-3) will look to earn his third straight win in the UFC and 11 overall when he faces Buckley. He has impressed fight fans with his dominating grappling style that earned him victories over Caio Bitencourt in the first round (submission-neck crank) and Roman Kopylov (unanimous decision) in his last bout in October. After starting with a 5-3 record in eight bouts, Duraev strung up 10 straight victories. What is more impressive is that half of them were submission victories and two others were stoppages due to punches.

The man they call “Machete” has been impressive on his ground game in his last 10 wins and he hopes to continue it against Buckley, who has impressed everyone with his standup and knockout skills. The fighters have trained together once so expect some respect between these two in the early goings before one of them attempts an effective maneuver that could become a turning point in the match.

Buckley vs. Duraev Betting Numbers

Buckley vs. Duraev Summary

Buckley and Duraev will bring opposing styles inside the octagon. Buckley knows Duraev will use his grappling style to take him down and beat him up while down the mat. On the other hand, Duraev would likely counter his opponent’s standing skills to his advantage. UFC betting odds suggest Buckley would survive Duraev’s mat onslaught to win the exciting clash.