Tag: Joaquin Buckley

Joaquin Buckley gets UFC on ESPN 56 co-main assignment vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

Joaquin Buckley gets his hometown fight this May in St. Louis as he meets Nursulton Ruziboev in the co-main event.

The UFC’s upcoming trip to St. Louis now has a co-main event.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] gets his wish to compete in a key matchup at the event, as he will take on [autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag] in a co-main welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 56 (ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place May 11 at Enterprise Center.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the matchup Wednesday on Instagram. The event is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between former title challenger Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento.

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Although it’s not the main event that Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) asked for when he crashed the UFC 300 pre-fight press conference, “New Mansa” gets a big spot in his hometown against a fellow finisher in Ruziboev (34-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

Buckley has been on a tear since dropping from middleweight to welterweight. He made the shift last May, and has racked up three wins, including a big ground and pound finish over Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 54 in March.

Ruziboev hasn’t seen Round 2 since 2019. He’s currently running super hot on a 10-fight, first-round stoppage streak that includes finishes of Brunno Ferreira and Sedriques Dumas under the UFC banner. He will be dropping down to 170 pounds for the first time since 2021, when he won the fight to spark his current streak.

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With the addition, the current UFC on ESPN 56 lineup includes:

  • Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
  • Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Jared Gooden vs. Kevin Jousset
  • Tabatha Ricci vs. Tecia Torres
  • Alex Caceres vs. Sean Woodson
  • Jake Hadley vs. Charles Johnson
  • Terrance McKinney vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Chase Hooper
  • Billy Goff vs. Trey Waters
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Robelis Despaigne
  • Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Rebecki

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, April 2: Manon Fiorot climbs closer to top

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 54 in New Jersey.

Following UFC on ESPN 54, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

Making her case for a title fight even stronger, [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] shut out Erin Blanchfield in the UFC on ESPN 54 main event in front of a sold-out crowd at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. It was a dominant performance for Fiorot, who kept her UFC unbeaten record alive, while handing Blanchfield her first loss in the promotion. Entering the week at No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s flyweight rankings, Fiorot jumps two spots to claim No. 3.

Also making a splash this week is [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag], who enters the welterweight rankings after stopping Vicente Luque with heavy ground and pound. Buckley has won three straight since dropping down from middleweight, and settles in at the No. 14 spot, while Luque falls to the honorable mentions.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Video: What’s the ceiling for Manon Fiorot and Joaquin Buckley after UFC on ESPN 54 wins?

What should be next for both Manon Fiorot and Joaquin Buckley after their UFC on ESPN 54 wins? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

Video: What’s the ceiling for Manon Fiorot and Joaquin Buckley after UFC on ESPN 54 wins?Video: What’s the ceiling for Manon Fiorot and Joaquin Buckley after UFC on ESPN 54 wins

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]’s wins at UFC on ESPN 54.

Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defeated top contender Erin Blanchfield in a clean, unanimous decision win in the main event of the card, and Buckley (19-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) stopped veteran Vicente Luque by TKO in the second round of their co-main event contest – both big wins.

What did their respective performances tell us about them, and what should be next following their victories?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, Nolan King, host “Gorgeous” George Garcia, analyze Fiorot and Buckley’s wins in the aftermath of the event.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and also don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC on ESPN 54, Brandon Moreno’s hiatus from MMA, Whittaker-Chimaev, more

On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses UFC on ESPN 54, Brandon Moreno’s hiatus from MMA, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, and Nolan King will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • UFC on ESPN 54 is in the books, and it left plenty to talk about, including [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]’s win over Erin Blanchfield and where she fits into the title picture at women’s flyweight; [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]’s 3-0 start in his return to welterweight; [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]’s controversial win over Bruno Silva and his future in MMA. We recap the main results of Saturday’s event in Atlantic City.
  • Sad news for the men’s flyweight. Arguably the division’s most popular name has announced a hiatus from MMA. Former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] revealed that he’s in need of a break from fighting and that he will be stepping away for some time, but he promises to come back eventually. We react to the news and its impact on the flyweight division.
  • The UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia is taking shape. UFC CEO Dana White announced several key matchups for the June 22 event, including a title eliminator bout between [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] and [autotag]Khamzhat Chimaev[/autotag] – which will serve as the main event of the card. We break down Whittaker vs. Chimaev, along with the rest of the fights announced.
  • Things got weird earlier this month when [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag] got disqualified, and later cut from the UFC, after biting his opponent Andre Lima at UFC on ESPN 53. We heard almost immediately after the incident from Lima, UFC CEO Dana White, the Nevada Athletic Commission, but this Severino broke silence in an exclusive interview with MMA Junkie. We discuss the whole incident as well as Severino’s recent comments.

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Joaquin Buckley set on making UFC change St. Louis headliner – to himself vs. somebody

After his UFC on ESPN 54 win in Atlantic City, Joaquin Buckley doesn’t sound like he’ll take no for an answer.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] wants to fight in St. Louis.

And if he fights in St. Louis, Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) needs to be a main event.

Following his UFC on ESPN 54 victory over Vicente Luque at Boardwalk Hall, Buckley immediately called an unsurprising shot.

“That’s the plan,” Buckley told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “We’ve got to talk to the UFC and see what they’re talking about, but yeah, I’m hoping I can fight in May (in St. Louis).”

The promotion announced Saturday its official main event will be Houston’s Derrick Lewis vs. Brazil’s Rodrigo Nascimento. Though the May 11 event at Enterprise Center in St. Louis already has some local flavor with Michael Johnson, Charles Johnson, and Sean Woodson on the card, but Buckley wants to add to the mix – but only one condition.

“They will switch it up,” Buckley said. “If I fight in St. Louis, they’re going to have to switch it up and put me as the main event. Five rounds.”

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For his co-main event booking vs. Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC), Buckley campaigned for a big matchup when he name dropped Luque, Kevin Holland and Ian Machado Garry, among others. For this fight, however, Buckley is biting his tongue.

“I ain’t trying to give no shout outs, but when I say I want to fight anybody and everybody, that’s what I want to do – everybody that’s above me that’s in the ranks,” Buckley said. “Now I get to be a little bougie. At first, when I was making these callouts, everyone was like, ‘You’re not ranked.’ Now I’m about to make the same excuse (to others).”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $24.5 million

UFC on ESPN 54 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $173,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 54 took place at Boardwalk Hall. The main card aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 54 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Connor Matthews[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Caolan Loughran[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Angel Pacheco[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,540; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $54,000 while title challengers get $54,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-54 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,842,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,579,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 play-by-play, live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 54 in Atlantic City.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – UFC on ESPN 54 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie live play-by-play and official results. UFC on ESPN 54 (ESPN/ESPN+) took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

In the main event, Erin Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) took on Manon Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in a likely women’s flyweight title eliminator. Joaquin Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) took on Vicente Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in the welterweight co-feature, and former middleweight champion Chris Weidman (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned against Bruno Silva (23-11 MMA, 4-5 UFC).

Below, you can check out the results and play-by-play from UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 results: Joaquin Buckley unloads heavy ground and pound to stop Vicente Luque

Joaquin Buckley picked up a big win by stopping Vicente Luque in the UFC on ESPN 54 co-main event.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] picked up the biggest win of his UFC career thus far with an impressive stoppage of Vicente Luque.

The welterweight bout was the UFC on ESPN 54 co-main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) was patient early, but gradually ramped up his offense until he stopped Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) at 3:17 of Round 2.

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The opening round was spent on the feet with the explosive welterweights searching for openings. Buckley worked from the outside, darting in and out with strikes, while Luque stayed light on his feet from the center, looking for counters. It was a relatively even first round.

Buckley unleashed flying attacks early in Round 2, connecting with a nice knee. A blitz of punches a few moments later caused Luque to cover up against the fence, but did not appear hurt when he returned to the center of the cage. However, Buckley started to sit down on his punches, connecting with a couple of flush left hands.

A Luque takedown attempt was easily reversed by Buckley, who then postured up and began raining down hard ground and pound. The referee stepped in closer and closer as Buckley continued the onslaught. Eventually, the barrage was stopped and Buckley scored the TKO finish.

Buckley may have found his true home at welterweight. The former middleweight made the move after a pair of setbacks in 2022. However, he moved to 170 in 2023, and has since won three straight fights, with a promotional ranking likely to follow this result.

The UFC-ranked No. 11 welterweight Luque entered on the heels of a victory over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, but failed to keep the momentum going.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 54 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Joaquin Buckley def. Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 54: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Joaquin Buckley’s second-round TKO win over Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 54.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]’s second-round TKO win over [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. (Fight and venue photos by Ed Mulholland, USA Today Sports)

UFC on ESPN 54: Vicente Luque vs. Joaquin Buckley odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 odds between Vicente Luque vs. Joaquin Buckley, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round welterweight bout on the main card, Vicente Luque and Joaquin Buckley meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 54: Luque vs. Buckley odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN2/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET, also on ESPN/ESPN+.

Records: Luque (22-9-1) | Buckley (17-6-0)

Luque is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Rafael dos Anjos in mid-August in his most recent fight. That halted a 2-bout losing skid with a KO/TKO setback against Geoff Neal in Aug. 2022, and a UD loss to Belal Muhammad in the main event in mid-April of 2022.

Buckley ended up with a UD win over Alex Morono last time out in early October, and he had a 2nd-round KO/TKO against Andre Fialho prior to that. His last loss was a KO/TKO in the 2nd round against Chris Curtis at UFC 282. Buckley has picked up wins in 5 of the past 7 fights, going the distance 3 times.

The southpaw Buckley holds a slight half-inch reach advantage, while Luque has a 5.17-to-3.87 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. The favorite is way more accurate on those strikes, too, hitting 56.04%, while Buckley throws punches wildly, with just a 35.56% significant strikes accuracy percentage.

In the takedown game, Buckley has 1.51-to-1.04 advantage, although, again, Luque is more accurate at 60.87%, while Buckley has just a 36.67% takedown accuracy percentage.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC on ESPN 54: Luque vs. Buckley

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:35 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Luque -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Buckley +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over -175 | Under +135)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +150 | No -210)

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UFC on ESPN 54: Luque vs. Buckley picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

LUQUE (-135) is just a little more polished. He is 32 years old, and he lands a lot more significant strikes per minute, and he does so with much greater accuracy. And in the takedown department, he is much more accurate there, too.

Luque has gone the distance in 2 of his past 3 fights, and Buckley has ended up going the distance in 3 of his past 5 full fights which weren’t ended via doctor’s stoppage. If the judges decide, Luque will win by a mile, as he just does all of the little things better to rack up points throughout the course of a fight.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-175) is a little on the pricey side, but it’s worth the risk. These 2 fighters should feel each other out in the 1st round, and it’s unlikely to be a quick finish. As mentioned above, these fighters have both ended up going the distance frequently lately.

YES (+150): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is also worth a look at plus-money, and LUQUE BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISION (+500) on the 7-way line for a chance to multiply up by 5 times is worth a roll of the dice. That’s a tremendous value.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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