Athletes
Joaquin Buckley: ‘This Is The Reason I’m Here’
UFC Welterweight Joaquin Buckley Is Stoked To Be In A Marquee Position To Move Up The Rankings And Show He Belongs Fighting The Top 170-Pound Fighters On The Roster
Joaquin Buckley always walks into fight week with a ton of energy, but the vibes surrounding his co-main event matchup with Vicente Luque reached new heights when he checked into the fighter hotel in Atlantic City.
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The 29-year-old Buckley had no clue that he was featured on the poster and the art to promote UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Fiorot. So, when he walked in to sign posters, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“I’m on the poster! I’m on the poster!” Buckley shouted to his team. “Oh s***! I didn’t even see it! That’s lit!”
Shortly after seeing the poster, “New Mansa” stopped at UFC.com for his fight week interview and he couldn’t stop talking about it.
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“I’m going to frame it,” Buckley told UFC.com. “I’m not going to frame one with another m*********** on it and point like, ‘There’s my little signature right there’.”
Being on the poster and in the co-main event slot on an important fight card is exactly where Buckley has wanted to be. More importantly, it’s exactly where Buckley feels like he deserves to be.
“To see myself on the UFC poster, this is what I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid,” Buckley said. “So, to actually see myself on the poster and actually be a part of the show, this is the reason why I’m here because I want to be able to show everybody that I’m that future star within the UFC and I should be headlining every show that I’m a part of.”
It's safe to say that the St. Louis native is feeling himself, and he has all the right to do so. Buckley famously delivered one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history and spent some time fighting contenders at middleweight, but what’s put him in this position is his move down to welterweight.
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Buckley is 2-0 as a UFC welterweight, with wins over André Fialho and Alex Morono. The win over Morono was particularly impressive, as he was in control from start to finish without showing any fatigue.
After that fight, he stayed ready, and he had UFC 296 in December circled on his calendar. Not because he had a fight booked, but because of the handful of welterweight bouts taking place on the card. If anything happened to the likes of Shavkat Rahkmonov, Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, or Ian Machado Garry, he wanted to make himself available.
Well, Machadgo Garry was forced out of the fight and Buckley called to step in on short notice versus Luque, but the phone didn’t ring.
“Actually, I was preparing to get on the fight [with Luque] in December when they had that fall out with Ian Machado Garry, but I never got any call,” Buckley said. “But I just stayed ready.”
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Luque was slated to fight rising contender Sean Brady on March 30, but the No. 8-ranked Brady pulled out of the fight with an injury. That’s when Buckley got the call.
“I’m getting what I asked for. I made a lot of callouts for a lot of fighters, and I never got them,” Buckley said. “Now that I actually get what I’m asking for, I’m just excited to show everybody the reason why I’ve been asking for this fight.”
The unranked Buckley knows fighting someone with a name and number like Luque is a huge opportunity. He’s just been waiting for it so that he can showcase that he’s on that same level as the top tier welterweights in the world.
Knocking the No. 11 ranked Luque out in epic fashion would certainly accomplish that mission.
“Vicente Luque, I got nothing but respect for this man. He’s been doing his thing for a very long time, but I believe that Vicente Luque is the type of fighter that has accomplished a lot but just has not accomplished the main goal as in becoming a world champion,” Buckley said. “I know that he’s still eager to become that. Me beating an individual like this, that is still hungry, that is still a threat, I feel like this is only going to apply value to my career. I think a win over Vicente Luque is an incredible thing, so I can’t wait.
“This is the type of fight that I want and need in order to showcase to the world that I am a star.”
UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Fiorot took place live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 30, 2024. See the final Prelims & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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