UFC on ESPN 73: Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcus Buchecha Prediction

UFC on ESPN 73: Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcus Buchecha Prediction for Saturday, 12/13/25

UFC Apex
Sat Dec 13
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UFC on ESPN 73: Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcus Buchecha Pickswise Expert Predictions

Money Line Pick
Nzechukwu Win(-130)

The second fight on the Main Card at UFC on ESPN 73 will see Kennedy Nzechukwu take on Marcus Buchecha. This will be a fight in the UFC Heavyweight division. Nzechukwu enters this fight with an MMA record of 14-6 and 10-6 in the UFC. He is averaging 5.33 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 46%. Nzechukwu absorbs 4.89 strikes and has a striking defense of 51%. His grappling is decent at best, averaging 0.55 takedowns every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 45% and a takedown defense of 80%.

Buchecha enters this fight with an MMA record of 5-2 and 0-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 1.60 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 40%. Buchecha absorbs 2.73 strikes and has a striking defense of 52%. His grappling is solid, averaging 1.00 takedowns every 15 minutes. However, he has a takedown accuracy of 9%.

Nzechukwu is the slim favorite in this fight, but still looks to be the best betting option. For once, he is a much more experienced UFC fighter, while Buchecha has just 1 UFC fight. Further, Nzechukwu has a significant advantage in striking volume. Therefore, even though Nzechukwu has not been in the best form, backing him to win will be our play.

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Matthew Lowrimore

Matthew has been with Pickswise for a while now, covering a wide variety of sports. His main passions are college football and UFC, and those are the sports he has covered the most. Matthew uses a variety of methods to handicap games, including stats, trends, injuries, and situational factors. His goal is to consistently give out winners and will put in the research to try and achieve this. For Matt Lowrimore media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.
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