Marc Diakiese vs Joel Alvarez at UFC Fight Night 224
MARC DIAKIESE VS JOEL ALVAREZ FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 224? Saturday 22July, 2023 - 16:45 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 224? The O2 Arena, London (UK)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 224?
What channel is UFC Fight Night 224 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 224? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
MARC DIAKIESE VS JOEL ALVAREZ LOWDOWN
Marc Diakiese (16-6) fights on home soil for the fifth time in his UFC career. He is 4-0 in those fights but has struggled overseas. He is 2-3 in his last five with a decision loss to Rafael Fiziev (2020) and submission loss to Rafael Alves (2021) followed by two careful unanimous decision wins over Viacheslav Borschev (2022) and Damir Hadzovic (2022). He fought a third time last year with some form behind him but lost a disappointing unanimous decision to veteran Michael Johnson taking his overall UFC tally to 7-6.
He has now been handed an even tougher match-up in Joel Alvarez (19-3). His UFC record is 4-2 but those losses where to Damir Ismagulov (2019) on debut and Arman Tsarukyan (2022) in his most recent bout. In between those losses however, he has racked up four superb finishes over Danilo Belluardo (2019), Joe Duffy (2020), Alexander Yakovlev (2020) and Thiago Moises (2021).
MARC DIAKIESE VS JOEL ALVAREZ PREDICTION
Like Diakiese at the start of his UFC career, Alvarez has looked exceptional so far and still has a lot of potential to fill. His only worry here is that he is taking on a veteran who has been more active.
We have not seen the Spaniard for 17 months and he also has a history of not making weight so it will be very interesting to see how his training camp has gone.
Diakiese has neglected his flashy striking and found success in his grappling in recent fights. However, he needs to go back to what got him to the dance as Alvarez’s grappling is extremely dangerous.
Diakiese cannot afford to tangle and needs to unleash his striking. If he is aggressive and throws his array of kicks and spinning attacks, he can find the chin. If he decides to wrestle, he will be able to take Alvarez down, but he will be playing with fire.
The electrifying striking and confidence of Diakiese seems to be a distant memory and we are backing Alvarez to tie him up with his long reach and set a trap for a submission. If the Diakiese of old shows up, the value is on him.
Prediction: Alvarez via Submission
