Shavkat RakhmonovvsJoaquin Buckley

Man, this is the welterweight clash everyone has been fantasy booking since Buckley started his tear through the division. You have Rakhmonov sitting there undefeated, fresh off that five round war with Ian Garry at UFC 310 where he showed he can hang in deep water. Then there is Buckley, who just went five hard rounds with Kamaru Usman and proved he belongs in these big moments. This matchup is pure fire, finisher against finisher, and someone's perfect night is ending. What makes it so intriguing is how their weapons collide. Rakhmonov is an absolute killer with submissions. He choked out Wonderboy in the second round and caught Geoff Neal with a rear naked choke in the third.

He is dangerous everywhere, calm under pressure and incredibly efficient. Buckley is no joke either. He knocked out Wonderboy, smashed Vicente Luque with brutal ground and pound, and that southpaw power is genuinely scary. Lately he has been mixing in his wrestling a lot more and it shows. The real question is whether Buckley's aggression and power can crack Rakhmonov before those grappling exchanges start to tilt the fight. Rakhmonov landed 83 percent of his strikes against Wonderboy and controlled more than eleven minutes against Garry, so he is patient and precise. Buckley threw 156 strikes against Usman and went four for four on takedowns against Ruziboev, which shows how complete his game is becoming.

This is high level problem solving from both guys. As a potential matchup, it would be massive for the division. Rakhmonov is trying to stay perfect and carry that momentum for Kazakhstan. Buckley is looking to finish one of the wildest rises in recent welterweight history. The winner comes out as the guy everyone has to go through at 170.