Joaquin Buckley is on the move, folks. He’s not just walking; he’s sprinting through his career milestones. And guess what? He’s not slowing down anytime soon.
So, he just left Vicente Luque in the dust with a Round 2 TKO. Happened at UFC Atlantic City, making it a hat-trick of wins for Buckley. Then, bam! He’s already eyeing his next fight. Wants it in May, at UFC St. Louis. Talk about being on a roll.
“I can’t wait to get to St. Louis, man,” he said, all pumped up during the post-fight presser. “We gotta see what the UFC says, but yeah, I’m all in for a May fight.”
And here’s where it gets juicy. UFC St. Louis has Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento headlining. But Buckley? He’s convinced he’ll be the star of the show. “They’ll have to make me the main event. Five rounds,” he declared, oozing confidence.
Yet, he admits he’s in the dark about the UFC’s plans. But if he gets his way, “New Mansa” wants the spotlight, the whole spotlight, and nothing but the spotlight on fight night.
“You know we don’t chat with the UFC,” he shared on “The MMA Hour.” “But if I’m fighting in St. Louis, I wanna be the reason everyone’s there. Not just part of the show, but THE show.”
Buckley’s not dropping names, though. Left that to Ariel Helwani, who threw Gilbert Burns into the mix. Buckley’s reaction? “Love it.” He’s got a score to settle, with a 3-1 record against Burns’ team, Kill Cliff FC. “First, Logan Storley got me, but then I knocked out Impa Kasanganay, Andre Fialho, and Vicente. So, yeah, 3-1,” he recounted.
Burns, on his end, is picking himself up from a third-round KO by Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299 last month. But Buckley? He’s just getting started.