A1 Combat 11 Co-Main Event Breakdown

However, fans of the sport need not despair. Just because there won’t be any UFC to watch over the extended holiday weekend, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t any fights to watch period. The sport’s eyes will shift to Sacramento and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for a late night card.

UFC Hall of Fame inductee Urijah Faber is putting his promoter’s cap on once again. This Saturday, while Dana White and his roster are taking some well-deserved time off, Faber’s A1 Combat is back in action.

Live coverage of A1 Combat 11 kicks off at the appropriate time of 11 pm ET/ 8 pm PT. As always, the show will be streamed on the UFC’s subscription-based streamer, UFC Fight Pass.

"California Love" just hits a little bit harder when it precedes a Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) fight!!

At #9 it's the return of The California Kid! pic.twitter.com/GWE4PtNx2Z

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 22, 2023

Interim A1 Combat Welterweight Championship at Stake in A1 Combat 11 Co-Main Event

Barring any postponements or cancellations between now and Saturday, the final version of A1 Combat 11 features a 10-fight card. Highlighting the night’s activities is a championship doubleheader, beginning with the A1 Combat 11 co-main event.

Former A1 Combat Middleweight Champion Buddy Wallace (18-9-1 MMA, 2-0 A1 Combat) makes his return to the promotion on Saturday. He’ll be attempting to capture the interim welterweight title when he fights UFC alumnus Louis Cosce (7-2 MMA, A1 Combat promotional debut.)

Atypical of championship fights in other MMA promotions, the A1 Combat 11 co-main event is only a maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round. Immediately following the co-headliner, the promotion’s flyweight championship is at stake when Joseph Morales (12-2 MMA, 1-0 A1 Combat) defends the strap against Daniel Barez (16-5 MMA, A1 Combat promotional debut.)

More on that fight later on in the week.

A1 Combat 11 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the A1 Combat 11 co-main event on Saturday night, Buddy Wallace stands as the taller fighter at 5-foot-11, compared to the 5-foot-9 frame of Louis Cosce. In addition, the former owns a two-inch reach advantage (73 inches to 71 inches) over the latter.

Ordinarily, at this point in the breakdown, we’d mention which of these two fighters has the advantage on the money line according to the oddsmakers. At press time, however, betting odds for A1 Combat 11 had yet to be released.

As always, if you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.

Buddy Wallace Back in A1 Combat for Chance at Interim Welterweight Gold

Buddy Wallace enters the A1 Combat 11 co-main event on Saturday having gone 3-2 in his last five MMA fights. At the present time, he’s on a three-fight winning streak.

Most recently, he scored a second-round submission via a rear-naked choke against Joaquin Lopez (5-3 MMA, 0-1 A1 Combat) on July 31 of last year. In November, Wallace vacated the 185-lb. belt in hopes of joining the UFC as a late addition to a then-upcoming card.

Nothing of the sort would ever materialize, so now he’s returned and dropped down to 170 lbs. Will his 10-month hiatus be a hindrance? Tune in and find out.

Louis Cosce Looks to Rebound in First Fight Post-UFC Release

In the other corner, Louis Cosce has posted his own 3-2 record in the last five fights. He’s coming into the A1 Combat 11 co-main event on a two-fight skid, which resulted in him getting released from the UFC after UFC Vegas 60.

On the Sept. 17 card, he dropped a unanimous decision to Trevin Giles (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in that night’s co-featured undercard bout. Cosce’s brother, Orion, was also cut from the promotion as of Nov. 1. Both Cosce siblings won a UFC deal in the 2020 season of Dana White’s Contender Series.

The Cosce bros are ready to go to work 👊

✨ Orion looks to get the first win next! #DWCS pic.twitter.com/J9zrohI1uc

— UFC (@ufc) August 19, 2020

Louis Cosce hasn’t fought in an MMA fight in slightly over eight months’ time. Thus, much like his adversary’s camp, the ever-popular question of ring rust has to be asked here.

Only time will tell if the ring rust has any effect on Cosce’s performance.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

The A1 Combat 11 co-main event looks to favor Buddy Wallace, a known grappler, compared to Louis Cosce’s status as a knockout specialist. Bottom line: It’s unwise to look away from the screen as this one goes on.

Wallace Slick With Submissions

If there’s been one constant with Buddy Wallace’s recent fights, it’s that once he takes an opponent down, it’s only a matter of moments before the fight stops.

During the second round of his bout vs. Lopez, he mixed in some strikes before taking Lopez down. He quickly applied the torque to lock in a rear-naked choke with a minute and 34 seconds left to go in the period.

All it takes for Wallace to end this co-main event is one takedown. If he dumps Cosce once, good night.

Louis Cosce Can End A1 Combat 11 Co-Main Event Quickly

In the other corner, look for Saturday to be a short night at the office for Louis Cosce. His 2020 Contender Series bout vs. Victor Reyna  was proof of that.

Cosce wasted no time in putting Reyna away. He knocked him down with a vicious overhand right punch. At that point, it was all over but the shouting, as he scored copious ground and pound shots to end the bout.

Louis Cosce has shown himself to have one-punch power before. Will it show up again on Saturday?

Final Thoughts

On paper, the A1 Combat 11 co-main event looks to be an entertaining bout. With the long holiday weekend, you can afford to stay up late in the Eastern Time Zone to watch this one.

Like we mentioned previously, do not even think about looking away as this fight happens. You just might miss the end of it.

Prediction: Buddy Wallace by Unanimous Decision.

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