Tag: Joaquin Buckley

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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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, May 14: Joaquin Buckley making waves at welterweight

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 56 in St. Louis.

Following UFC on ESPN 56, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

In the feature bout of the event at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] knocked out Rodrigo Nascimento, extending his UFC knockout record.

A few other notables made their presence felt in a big way with strong showings. In the co-feature, [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] continued an impressive run since dropping down to welterweight by shutting out Nursulton Ruziboev. Also, [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] scored a lightning-fast finish of Alonzo Menifield.

Both fighters moved up in the rankings in their respective divisions following their impressive performances.

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: UFC on ESPN 56 recap: Derrick Lewis’ insane celebration, Joaquin Buckley 4-0 at welterweight, more

A lot went down at UFC on ESPN 56. On “Spinning Back Clique,” we discussed Saturday’s results including Derrick Lewis and Joaquin Buckley’s big wins.

On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel reacted to the results of UFC on ESPN 56.

This past Saturday, both [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] picked up big wins in the main and co-main event of the St. Louis event. Lewis stopped Brazil’s Rodrigo Nascimento, while Buckley dominated Nursulton Ruziboev to continue his unbeaten run since dropping back down to welterweight. Although Lewis and Buckley had the biggest wins, there were several other notable results on the card.

So, what should we make of the UFC on ESPN 56 results? What should be next for some of the winners and losers?

MMA Junkie’s Matthew Wells, Dan Tom, Mike Bohn, and host Danny Segura recap the action in St. Louis.

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

https://youtube.com/live/kCQzad3LuR0

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UFC’s Gilbert Burns says ‘let’s do it’ in response to Joaquin Buckley’s callout

Gilbert Burns is game to fight Joaquin Buckley next.

Former UFC welterweight title challenger [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] is game to fight [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] next.

Buckley (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is 4-0 since dropping back down to welterweight, most recently defeating highly touted Nursulton Ruziboev (34-9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 56 co-main event in St. Louis.

Buckley’s callout of Conor McGregor received heavy criticism, but he quickly pivoted to Burns (22-7 MMA, 15-7 UFC) after realizing his initial name was unrealistic.

“Gilbert Burns, I think it’s a beautiful fight, a beautiful matchup,” Buckley said during the UFC on ESPN 56 post-fight news conference. “I don’t know when he’s going to be cleared or when he’s going to be ready, but Gilbert Burns definitely.”

“Durinho” is all too happy to oblige.

“Let’s do it,” Burns said on his “Show Me The Money” podcast. “The way I see it like, I’m not in the situation to call anyone out or to pick and choose. OK, I’m No. 6, I think, right now. I don’t know. If they send me, I’ll say yes now. I never say no to a fight, and I’m not planning on start doing.”

Burns, a former title challenger, finds himself in unfamiliar waters after losing two fights in a row for the first time in his career to Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. Prior to that, he’d scored back-to-back wins over Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal.

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Michael Bisping: Joaquin Buckley is a star, but went too far with Conor McGregor callout

Michael Bisping liked everything from Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 56 – except his post-fight callout.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] liked everything from [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 56 – except his post-fight callout.

Buckley (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) impressed in his unanimous decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev (34-9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in Saturday’s welterweight co-main event from his home city of St. Louis.

“New Mansa” campaigned for a spot on the card, and made the most out of the opportunity – from engaging with the Uzbekistani fans, to putting on arguably his most well-rounded performance to date.

“Take a bow – this man is a star,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He has got so much charisma. I’m telling you, Buckley owned fight week.”

Bisping admits he thought Buckley appeared overconfident against a dangerous opponent in Ruziboev, but was very impressed with how good he looked.

“Buckley was talking like (Ruziboev) was no threat, and I was concerned for him,” Bisping said. “I was like, ‘I think you’re taking this too lightly.’ I never said that to him, but that’s what I thought. I thought, ‘I don’t think you’re recognizing the threat, and there’s a potential for a great downfall.’ … He showed no signs of being under pressure. He showed no signs of being outskilled.

“In fact, he was the better fighter from start to finish – hitting double-leg takedowns, taking him down, wobbling him on the feet, almost finishing him in Round 3. Just a fantastic performance, a fantastic fight week – his star shot through the roof, and then he went too far.”

Buckley used his mic time with Bisping to call out [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], who headlines UFC 303 against Michael Chandler. It’s safe to say Bisping thinks Buckley failed to capitalize on his big moment.

“Not the best callout,” Bisping said. “Listen, I like Joaquin Buckley. I’m not talking sh*t. But that fight with Conor McGregor is never going to happen, so you could say that potentially he wasted a callout. And then on top of that, then he went too far. He’s trying to be insulting and give McGregor a reason to want to fight him. He was calling his mom and grandma a ho, basically. I like a bit of sh*t talk, and then when he went that far, I’m like, ‘Oh sh*t, this is bad.’

“I think it was just in the moment with the adrenaline, with the big win, with his home crowd. He probably thought it was being funny, but I don’t think anyone particularly enjoyed that one. (He got) a great win over a tough opponent. The man’s got massive amounts of charisma, ridiculous knockout power, very athletic and he’s got a bright future. He should have called out somebody realistic, though.”

Buckley later acknowledged that the callout was unrealistic, and turned his attention to former title challenger Gilbert Burns.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

Joaquin Buckley shifts to Gilbert Burns after unrealistic Conor McGregor callout: ‘I’m definitely not going to get that’

Joaquin Buckley wants to fight Gilbert Burns next, knowing he likely won’t get the Conor McGregor bout.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] knows he’s not going to fight [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], yet he called him out anyway.

The rising UFC welterweight contender used his in-octagon, post-fight interview at UFC on ESPN 56 to call out McGregor. Although he got an impressive win over Nursulton Ruziboev (34-9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in the co-main event of the card, UFC CEO Dana White quickly shut down his request – something Buckley (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) expected.

“I’m definitely not going to get that, but why not take chances, right?” Buckley said at the UFC on ESPN 56 post-fight press conference. “I’ve been doing it up until this moment, so why not make the biggest callout that I can make? If Michael Chandler doesn’t show up for the fight, ‘New Mansa’ will be ready.”

McGregor is expected to make his return at UFC 303 on June 29. He takes on Michael Chandler in a welterweight bout.

Buckley did have a plan B keeping in mind how far he was reaching in the McGregor callout.

“Gilbert Burns, I think it’s a beautiful fight, a beautiful matchup,” Buckley said. “I don’t know when he’s going to be cleared or when he’s going to be ready, but Gilbert Burns, definitely.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.