Jason Burgos
The UFC Vegas 48 fight card on Feb. 19 is not a star-studded affair like the promotions numbered pay-per-view events. Yet that doesn’t mean Saturday’s card inside the UFC APEX doesn’t have some fighters and matchups worth investing your time in.
For bloodthirsty fans looking for some good old cage-fighting violence over the weekend, here are three reasons to watch UFC Vegas 48.
Joaquin Buckley vs Abdul Razak Alhassan is built to deliver a knockout
The booking of Joaquin Buckley (13-4) and Abdul Razak Alhassan (11-4) is one made for fight fans who like seeing skilled athletes get put to sleep.
Alhassan has a perfect 100% knockout rate in his 11 professional wins. His opponent is no slouch either when it comes to KOs, as he sports a 77% finish rate in his 13 victories. And both men’s success rate in giving opponents concussions did not tail off once they joined the MMA world leader.
All four of “Judo Thunder’s” UFC wins are first-round KOs. While not in the first round, “New Mansa’s” three UFC victories are also by KO, and his 2020 win over Impa Kasanganay was unanimously voted as the “Knockout of the Year.”
This fight is built to be short and vicious. Don’t miss it.
UFC Vegas 48: Enjoy Jim Miller while you’ve still got him
Who doesn’t like Jim Miller? The 38-fight UFC veteran has been around since 2008 and has fought almost every notable lightweight that has passed through the promotion in that time. MMA greats of the last decade like Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, Nate Diaz, Charles Oliveira, Clay Guida, Dustin Poirier, and Benson Henderson.
At 38-years-old, and with 49 pro-fights under his belt, Miller (33-16) likely won’t be around much longer. That’s not to say he’s a fighter competing well past his prime, but in the end, father time always gets his man, and he is definitely creeping up quickly on the New Jersey native.
So enjoy the 155-pound fan favorite while he is still competing at a high level because all good things come to an end. And in the fight game, it’s often in brutal fashion.
UFC Vegas 49 main event could be a career turning point for Johnny Walker
A few years ago it was not uncommon to hear fans and media suggest that Brazilian light heavyweight Johnny Walker (18-6) could find himself in a title fight against then-champion Jon Jones. That’s was how spectacular his talent seemed coming off his UFC contract-winning performance in the summer of 2018.
Walker won his first three Octagon appearances and seemed primed for big things in 2019 and beyond. Then Corey Anderson handed him a first-round knockout in Madison Square Garden at UFC 244, and he has been reeling ever since.
Following the Anderson defeat, Walker lost two of his next three, changed his camps a couple of times, and seems far removed from the super prospect he was almost four years ago. If he can return to his highlight reel-making former self against Jamahal Hill in Saturday’s headliner, he might be able to salvage his UFC run.
At just 29, Walker has many good years of competition left in front of him. However, if Hill were to win — he is currently the -250 favorite on Draftkings –Walker would have lost four of his last five and his days competing in the Octagon could be over.
