Tag: Joaquin Buckley

Kamaru Usman responds to Joaquin Buckley’s callout: ‘Take a number and get in line’

Former UFC champion Kamaru Usman has brushed off Joaquin Buckley’s callout.

Former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] has brushed off [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]’s callout.

Buckley (21-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) issued a challenge to Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) after scoring a third-round knockout of former title challenger Stephen Thompson on Saturday at UFC 307. Buckley is now 5-0 at welterweight in the UFC and was praised by Daniel Cormier for his callout. Usman dismissed Buckley but didn’t imply that he wouldn’t fight him if offered.

“Take a number and get in line,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “I believe he’s probably, what, the 10th, 11th guy? I don’t know how many guys have called me out. It is what it is. It’s obviously, like DC said, it’s a more reasonable callout for him because he is on the streak. He’s been doing good work inside there. I believe he was losing that fight, and it was just a way to be relentless and find the shot eventually to get that finish. So, you know, hats off to him.

“He did a great job. If that’s the fight, then that’s the fight. If it’s not, it’s not. Obviously right now I’m working on myself and trying to get myself back, because I’ve fought injured for so long to where I achieved all the things I’ve achieved, but at some point it does catch up to you. You have to sit down and correct some of those mistakes. But, like I said, I ain’t going nowhere. I’m still here, and eventually I will get in there and show the people that I am once again the king.”

Usman, 37, hasn’t competed since a majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight in October 2023. The short-notice setback to Chimaev was his third straight after suffering back-to-back title losses to Leon Edwards.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Joaquin Buckley doubles down on Kamaru Usman callout after UFC 307: ‘I can knock out Usman immediately’

UFC 307 winner Joaquin Buckley thinks he can break the record for fastest knockout in history against former champ Kamaru Usman.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] thinks his UFC 307 finish of Stephen Thompson earned him a big fight in the welterweight division, and he’s putting a target on Kamaru Usman’s head.

Buckley (21-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) extended his perfect run since dropped to 170 pounds Saturday when he scored a third-round knockout of former title challenger Thompson at Delta Center. After the fight, he took the microphone and called out Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC).

“(I’m) 5-0 in the welterweight division right now,” Buckley told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 307. “Me putting on a tear, I feel like at the end of the day Usman being a former champion will kind of prove and cement my name that I should fight for a title next.”

Usman is currently on a three-fight losing skid and hasn’t competed since a majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October 2022. The former titleholder has publicly entertained a variety of matchups in recent months, and also seemed to acknowledge Buckley mentioning his name with some emojis on X.

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For Buckley, 30, he thinks it’s a matchup that will show the world exactly what he’s about in the form of a highlight-reel moment.

“I think I can knock out Usman,” Buckley said. “Immediately – yeah, immediately. Breaking records.”

As Buckley looks to continue his surge to the top of the division, he points to his performance against “Wonderboy” as a confidence-building moment. It was a competitive fight with 19-19, 18-20 and 20-18 scorecards going into the final round.

Buckley took it out of the hands of the judges, though, and he said that was the product of a well-round attack.

“I knew I just had to mix it up the whole time,” Buckley said. “You can’t just go out there and be one-dimensional, whether that’s just wrestling or striking with ‘Wonderboy.’ You’ve got to mix it up, especially if you’re trying to get him out of there.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program cracks $29 million total paid since Venum deal

The UFC has now paid more than $29 million to its athletes under the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program following UFC 307.

SALT LAKE CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 307 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $407,500.

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 307 took place at Delta Center in Utah. The main card aired on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 307 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Tecia Pennington[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000

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 $4,500; 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 $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,302,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,039,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307 results: Joaquin Buckley’s leaping punch knocks out Stephen Thompson

Check out this big knockout by Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307!

All appeared to be going splendid for [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] until he ended up face first on the canvas midway through Round 3 of his UFC 307 bout.

The party responsible for the violent jumping knockout was [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who crumpled “Wonderboy” Thompson (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) with a jumping right hook that ended the fight at 2:17 of Round 3.

The welterweight bout closed out the UFC 307 preliminary card at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Buckley was the aggressor for much of the three-round bout, as Thompson played role of matador to his bull. Thompson counter strikes landed on Buckley on a few occasions, but that didn’t deter the pressure put forth.

Thompson fended off many of Buckley’s takedown attempts and made it seemingly impossible to be controlled for any significant period of time.

Right after a big head kick landed for Thompson in the opening two minutes of the third round, Buckley finally found a home for the big shot. He jumped in the air and landed a big right hook that sent Thompson on all fours.

After the win, which was Buckley’s fourth in a row, he called out former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Buckley defeated Andre Fialho, Alex Morono, and Nursulton Ruziboev in succession prior to Saturday’s fight.

Thompson, 41, has now lost back-to-back fights and four of his most recent five.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 307 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Joaquin Buckley def. Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Joaquin Buckley’s third-round knockout win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]’s third-round knockout win over [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. (Fight and venue photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA Today Sports)

Stephen Thompson expects Joaquin Buckley to wrestle him at UFC 307: Guys no longer want to strike with me

Stephen Thompson sees Joaquin Buckley resorting to grappling him at UFC 307.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] sees [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] resorting to grappling him at UFC 307.

Thompson (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) takes on Buckley (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in Saturday’s featured prelim (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Although Buckley is owner of several devastating knockouts – including a spinning back kick knockout of Impa Kasanganay, Thompson noticed a different game plan from “New Mansa” as of late. Buckley landed four takedowns in his unanimous decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev in May, and Thompson thinks he’ll try and do the same to him.

“You go back and watch, I think it was a fight ago, he fought the big (Uzbek) dude, he took him down,” Thompson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 307 media day. “He won by takedown. So I prepared for that. I knew that was going to happen.

“At this point, you’ve got guys who no longer want to stand and strike with me, which I think is a testament to my striking, and they just want to take me down now. So I’ll be ready wherever the fight goes.”

Thompson has struggled against the likes of Gilbert Burns and current welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, who implemented a heavy grapple approach on him. Thompson only has one win by submission in his career, but hopes he can surprise Buckley with some of the things he’s been working on.

“Well hey, it could happen baby – you never know. I might sneak one of those in,” Thompson said on a potential submission win. “We’ve been working on it nonstop. I’ve got great coaches back home – got a great team around me to help me get to this point, so I’m going to put on a show.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307: Now 4-0 at welterweight, Joaquin Buckley eyes title shot if victorious vs. Stephen Thompson

Joaquin Buckley thinks a win over Stephen Thompson at Saturday’s UFC 307 will get him far up in the division.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] doesn’t think the UFC welterweight title is too far from reach, especially if all goes well this weekend.

Buckley, who’s 4-0 since dropping to 170 pounds in 2023, believes a win over former UFC title challenger [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] this Saturday at UFC 307 will put him into title contention. Buckley (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) respects what Thompson (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) has done in his career, but sees him as another step to get to his ultimate goal.

“Right now, he’s definitely going to be somebody that’s going to push my name, so you can call him a gatekeeper,” Buckley told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 307 media day. “He’s definitely been at the highest level for the longest time. This is actually the lowest ranking he’s ever been, that we’ve seen, but at the end of the day I can’t tell his story. I can only make mine. But at the end of the day, I feel like this win for me is definitely going to put me in the position where I can fight the title one day.”

Even at 41, Thompson is still considered one of the trickiest fights in the division, given his uncommon karate style. Buckley admits it wasn’t easy to prepare for “Wonderboy,” but he feels confident he’s going to get the job done.

“It was hard to find (a similar training partner),” Buckley said. ‘I went to Austin, Texas to go train with Raymond Daniels, but that training and that sparring never happened. I was a little bummed out because there’s nobody else that can replicate my style besides that person I went to go train with. But then I thought about it, ‘Who is he training in order to imitate me?’ At the end of the day, this is going to be the fight of who’s got the best version and style to get their hand raised.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Joaquin Buckley: Shavkat Rakhmonov will be ‘exposed’ by Belal Muhammad

Joaquin Buckley thinks Shavkat Rakhmonov is overrated.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] is overrated.

Buckley (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) takes pride in calling himself the Kill Cliff FC killer, after wins over Impa Kasanganay, Andre Fialho, and Vicente Luque.

With Jack Della Maddalena sidelined due to injury, Buckley called out Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) for a fight in August, but he was immediately dismissed by the undefeated contender. Rakhmonov is touted to potentially be welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]’s first title defense, and Buckley picks Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) to beat him.

“First off, I’ve shouted out that Shavkat has never been as good as people claim,” Buckley told Inside Fighting. “The reason I say that with so much confidence is because when he had the opportunity to fight me, he didn’t take it. When the (Jack Della Maddalena) fight pulled out for him, I told him I will be willing to fight him in the same place, on the same date he was going to fight JDM and he declined. Guys don’t realize you cannot wait on an opportunity to get a title. You have to just keep putting in work – because the UFC makes those decisions, you don’t.

“Let’s say I fought Shavkat and he happened to win and beat me. Boom: Easy. No doubt, right there they probably would have gave it to him, but because he knew there was a risk that I’ve beat the majority of his teammates that he trains with, that yes, that we’ve got the number on the whole Kill Cliff clan over there. So I just don’t think Shavkat is as good as people claim. But you know, I feel like he definitely going to get exposed eventually. If that’s not by me, that’s definitely going to be by Belal.”

After winning his first four fights at welterweight in the UFC, Buckley will look to emerge as a top contender when he faces Stephen Thompson (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) Oct. 5 in the featured prelim of UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland, Joaquin Buckley vs. Stephen Thompson added to UFC 307

The UFC is making a habit of bringing big matchups to the mountains when it touches down in Utah.

The UFC is making a habit of bringing big matchups to the mountains when it touches down in Utah.

That will be the case again in October at UFC 307. The promotion Friday announced a pair of title fights for the top of the bill in Salt Lake City, some top-shelf previously reported matchups, and a pair of fan-friendly new bookings.

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will take on [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (26-11 MMA, 13-8 UFC) at middleweight. And at welterweight, [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) meets two-time title challenger [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC). Just like the UFC 300 and UFC 303 cards light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira headlined earlier this year, UFC 307 is shaping up to be another all-star game of sorts for the promotion.

UFC 307, headlined by Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree and women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña, takes place Oct. 5 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Dolidze got back in the win column in late June when he outworked Anthony Smith at UFC 303. The Las Vegas-based fighter had been working off back-to-back losses, but now he’ll chase his first winning streak since 2022.

Holland, one of the UFC’s busiest fighters, was supposed to take on Chris Curtis until the matchup was lost to an injury. He’ll get Dolidze, instead, and will be chasing another winning streak of his own. After decision losses to Jack Della Maddalena and Michael Page, Holland rebounded at UFC 302 with a bonus-winning armbar submission of Michal Oleksiejczuk.

Buckley has been on a tear with four straight wins on the heels of back-to-back losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis in 2022. In 2023, he took out Andre Fialho with a head kick and outworked Alex Morono. And already this year, he pounded out Vicente Luque in March and took a decision from Nursulton Ruziboev in May, giving him a shot at a 3-0 year if he runs his streak to five.

“Wonderboy” Thompson, considered one of the best strikers in the UFC, has dropped three of his past four. At UFC 296 in December 2023, he was submitted by Shavkat Rakhmonov. It was the first time he was submitted, and just the second time he was finished.

With the additions, the UFC 307 lineup includes:

  • Champ Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland
  • Kevin Buckley vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington
  • Iasmin Lucindo vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Daniel Cormier unloads on Joaquin Buckley after response to Conor McGregor callout criticism: ‘Shut up, p*ssy’

Daniel Cormier wasn’t going to sit idle while Joaquin Buckley took shots at his family, his colleagues and himself.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] wasn’t going to sit idle while [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] took shots at his family, his colleagues and himself.

After Buckley (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) scored an impressive unanimous decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC on ESPN 56 this past weekend in St. Louis, the surging welterweight contender took the microphone in his post-fight interview and issued a lengthy callout to Conor McGregor.

The callout fell flat for the most part. UFC CEO Dana White shut it down, and Buckley admitted afterward it wasn’t all that realistic. Then analysts, such as Cormier, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping offered critique toward Buckley in arguing he wasted an opportunity after a big win by naming McGregor.

Buckley, 30, didn’t take kindly to being the culprit behind making what Cormier called the “worst call out in UFC history,” and he took aim at the analyst trio Monday on social media (via X):

Let this be known @dc_mma @bisping @ChaelSonnen Ya mommas raised some hoes!!!!! Yall really trying to twist up my words knowing damn well what I said in that cage but it’s ok we can all have some fun 💯🙅🏿‍♂️

Cormier didn’t appreciate Buckley’s comment, especially the reference to mothers. Cormier’s mother, Audrey, passed away in February 2022, and it didn’t take long for the UFC Hall of Famer to offer a retort in which he doubled down on his previous statement (via X):

Shut up P*ssy! Maybe listen. You had a dumb ass call out. You’re getting talked about by 3 of the biggest voices in the game. Maybe listen. It was the worst call out in history. Don’t let winning at few fights at 170lbs get you too excited bruh. Don’t mention Audrey!

The fiery reply from former two-division champ Cormier prompted another reply from Buckley, who clarified he wasn’t speaking ill of Cormier’s mother but rather Cormier himself (via X):

Yeah you funny pretending like you don’t know what I am talking about still

I don’t care if yall say its the worst call out 🤣 the point is you saying I was calling woman/grandmas hoes Nah

Yall the hoes 🙅🏿‍♂️😂

Buckley improved to 4-0 since dropping to 170 pounds with the win at UFC on ESPN 56. He changed his desired next fight matchup from McGregor to Gilbert Burns in the aftermath of the win, and Burns has said he would happily accept the bout if offered.

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