Stephen Thompson picks Joaquin Buckley to beat Kamaru Usman: 'Guy's evolving every time'
Stephen Thompson is impressed with the evolution in his former UFC foe's game.
Thompson (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) was knocked out by Joaquin Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in his most recent outing at UFC 307 this past October. Buckley went on to stop former interim champion Colby Covington, and now draws former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) on June 14 in the UFC on ESPN 69 headliner at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
"Wonderboy" finds it hard to bet against Buckley.
"Buckely's been on a tear, man," Thompson told Inside Fighting. "The guy is hungry, he's got great wrestling. You saw what it did to Colby Covington. I think it's going to be a tough night for both. But I think Kamaru Usman is going to do the same old jab, shoot for the leg, maybe a little bit of boxing. Buckley, you don't know what he's going to pull out of the hat.
"The guy's evolving every time I see this guy fight, so that's what's going to make this fight so interesting for sure. Buckley's wanted it. He's wanted to move up the rankings, and Kamaru Usman is kind of working his way down a little bit, but he's still part of the welterweight division and in the top five. I'm kind of leaning towards Buckley."
Former title challenger Thompson will look to rebound from his loss to Buckley when he takes on rising welterweight Gabriel Bonfim (17-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 70 on July 12 from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
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