Joaquin Buckley emerged as a UFC welterweight title contender in 2024.
Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) entered 2024 2-0 after dropping again all the way down to 170 kilos. He kicked the yr off with an enormous end of perennial contender Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 54 in March, and campaigned for a spot at UFC on ESPN 56, which came about in his dwelling state of Missouri in Could.
Buckley received his want, drawing streaking contender Nursulton Ruziboev within the co-main occasion. “New Mansa” prevailed as soon as once more, exhibiting a powerful show of grappling and hanging all through the combat.
The win over Ruziboev earned Buckley his largest alternative to this point, a matchup in opposition to former title challenger Stephen Thompson at UFC 307. Buckley got here up massive by scoring a third-round Efficiency of the Night time knockout of “Wonderboy.”
To cap off his banner yr, Buckley headlined his first UFC occasion in opposition to former interim champion Colby Covington. After a dominant first two rounds at UFC on ESPN 63 earlier this month, Buckley scored a physician’s stoppage TKO win on the finish of Spherical 3, after opening up a lower on Covington’s proper eyelid.
Previous to his viral knockout of Impa Kasanganay in his second UFC combat in October 2020, Buckley was requested by MMA Junkie if he’d take into account welterweight once more.
“Each, I imply I’m attempting to be like Khamzat Chimaev, combat at 170 or 185,” Buckley responded. “For actual, however I might love to return all the way down to 170. It’s lots of straightforward meals down at 170, I really feel like there are lots of good fights for me down at 170, however I don’t thoughts preventing at 185 as a result of it’s not a significant lower and it’s not lots of harm being placed on my physique.
“So, that’s the one profit at 185 proper now for me as a result of I don’t have to chop a lot weight, however 170 is my dwelling. That’s the vast majority of my fights are at 170 so, I’d wish to proceed my profession at 170 on a critical degree. …I began my profession at 170, and I all the time needed to seize a belt at 170.”
After ending 2022 with two-straight knockout losses, Buckley sought new life at welterweight. He’s 6-0 since transferring again all the way down to 170 kilos, and is on the cusp of title rivalry after going 4-0 in 2024.
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