A pair of knockout artists will collide inside the UFC octagon in January.
Meni Mayer of MMA Ideas was the first to report that Joaquin Buckley will be fighting Abdul Razak Alhassan on January 15, 2022 at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event. Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze are expected to headline the event. Alhassan would confirm the booking on social media.
Buckley (13-4) got himself back in the win column in his last outing. He knocked out Antonio Arroyo in the third round, handing him his pink slip. “New Mensa” exploded on the UFC scene last year and went viral as he landed the Knockout of the Year on Impa Kasaganay on ‘Fight Island.’ He would knock out Jordan Wright later in the year as well. In all three of his wins in the promotion, Buckley has received Performance of the Night bonuses.
With his back against the wall and fighting for his job, Alhassan (11-4) knocked out Alessio Di Chirico in 17 seconds in August. The win over Di Chirico snapped a three-fight losing streak in which he lost to Jacob Malkoun, Khaos Williams, and Mounir Lazzez. Alhassan holds a 100% finish rate, with all of his wins coming via first-round knockout. He signed a new UFC contract after his last victory.
No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been officially announced for the January 15, 2022 event.
The UFC’s January 15 Fight Night card currently breaks down as follows:
- Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze
- Brandon Royval vs. Rogerio Bontorin
- Kay Hansen vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
- Bill Algeo vs. Joanderson Brito
- Zarrukh Adashev vs. Kleydson Rodrigues
- Brian Kelleher vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov
- Court McGee vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
- Ashley Yoder vs. Vanessa Demopoulos
- Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Joaquin Buckley
