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HOF Southpaw Report

Hello and welcome to the ever-popular southpaw report, which can now be found only here, exclusively at Home of Fight!

Aside from the fact that most statistics you see on major broadcasts are drawn from a faulty well of information full of misinterpretation and human error, the statistical categories discussed generally lack proper sample sizes and contexts. With this in mind, we try to provide unique, applicable and (hopefully) interesting stats in the form of my patent southpaw reports.

Here, we will do our best to provide you with everything from stats to written and visual analysis covering every fighter facing a dedicated southpaw on upcoming UFC cards. UFC Tampa features a decent clip of dedicated southpaws, so let’s get started!

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Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley

  • Summary: The most unique thing about southpaw vs. southpaw matchups is the fact that no one hates fighting southpaws more than other southpaws.

On paper, one might think that a southpaw should be celebrating the scenario of a same-stance matchup, as this theoretically means that they can finally use all the tools that they’ve been forced to reverse engineer during training. But with the majority of gyms being filled with orthodox opposition, most southpaws end up predicating their games off of open-stance looks.

For this reason, superior ‘on-paper’ strikers don’t necessarily swim as well as they usually do in these sorts of matchups.

Colby Covington, who faces Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa, is officially 5-1 against fellow UFC-level southpaws (Wins: Robbie Lawler, Bryan Barberena, Demian Maia, Dong Hyun Kim, Rafael dos Anjos; Losses: Leon Edwards).

Like many lefties when forced to fight a fellow southpaw, Covington will lean more on lead-side attacks to establish his striking presence. However, aside from Covington’s usual common culprits of left-sided strikes and bodywork still being available in this stance pairing, the resident of South Florida seems to be even more susceptible to leg kicks.

Buckley, who officially stands at 0-1 opposite UFC-level lefties (losing to Chris Curtis), has some underutilized kicks he can go to if he chooses to. That said, it may not be very likely for Buckley to lean on said tools given the looming takedown threat that Covington presents.

Akin to Covington, Buckley leans more on his lead-side attacks to establish his range when fighting fellow southpaws. Buckley has also been a quietly consistent bodyworker throughout his career, which could serve him well against Covington’s never ending gas tank.

Still, if the reports above are any indication, then left-sided strikes and bodywork will be a potent two-way street for both parties this Saturday night.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 29: (R-L) Jamey-Lyn Horth of Canada punches Hailey Cowan in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 29, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Miranda Maverick

  • Summary: Jamey-Lyn Horth, who faces Miranda Maverick at UFC Tampa, has strictly been scheduled against southpaws since stepping into the organization, officially standing at 2-1 opposite UFC-level lefties (Wins: Hailey Cowan, Ivana Petrovic; Losses: Veronica Hardy).

Horth shows your standard MMA approach to fighting southpaws. From outside-foot awareness to non-committal prods from the lead side, it all mainly serves as window dressing to help disguise power strikes from the rear.

Horth displays solid body kicks that she sneakily counterbalances crosses off of. And when she’s feeling in stride, Horth can change her combinations and levels alike when going to the head via her Leon Edwards impersonation.

The downside, however, is that spamming kicks, in general, can make Horth somewhat predictable to counter (as demonstrated in her last two outings). And against a takedown and submission threat like Maverick, kicks that are intercepted could be extra costly for Horth this weekend.

Mar 11, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Davey Grant (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Raphael Assuncao (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Virgin Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras

  • Summary: Davey Grant, who faces Ramon Taveras at UFC Tampa, is officially 1-0 opposite UFC-level southpaws (beating Jonathan Martinez).

Despite the positive result for Grant, the Englishman was having a lot of trouble in the first frame of that fight.

Making the classic mistake of abandoning his lead/left hand against a southpaw, Grant got stuck at range going kick for kick with Martinez before being dropped by a hard left hand to close the round.

Luckily for Grant, he was able to get his groove in the second after doing his best ‘Jim Carrey shadow boxing’ impression, as he was off to races shortly after.

Pulling off a janky version of Jorge Masvidal’s win over Darren Till, Grant was able to shift into his own southpaw stance in order to deliver the southpaw killer—the overhand left. Grant could get himself into early trouble again with a southpaw like Taveras, but the English fighter is the more proven party late, which makes for an interesting dynamic in this Saturday’s matchup.

Ottman Azaitar | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Ottman Azaitar vs. Michael Johnson

We may never find out what was in Azaitar’s bag on the fateful day in Abu Dhabi, but at least we’ll find out about his game against southpaws this Saturday. The oddsmakers and the betting public, however, are not favoring Azaitar’s chances.

This concludes the southpaw report for UFC Tampa. Be sure to check back here on UFC fight weeks for this report and more.

Want to know more about each event? Visit homeoffight.com or any of our social media accounts for more articles, fighter interviews, and plenty of more coverage. Enjoy the fights, let us know how you’ll be watching!