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Ian Machado Garry And Joaquin Buckley Headline Tampa Fight Night
Welterweight Contenders On The Rise Close Out UFC’s 2024 Slate In Tampa On December 14
UFC closes out its 2024 schedule in style with two of the hottest fighters in the welterweight division hoping to set themselves up for a title shot in 2025 as the undefeated Ian Machado Garry faces dynamic knockout artist Joaquin Buckley on December 14.
Neither man has tasted defeat in the welterweight division. Machado Garry boasts a 15-0 professional record and has impressed in each of his eight Octagon appearances. “The Future” maintained a steady schedule since joining the roster in November 2021, scoring knockout wins over Jordan Williams, Song Kenan and Daniel Rodriguez along the way. The Irishman racked up decision wins against Neil Magny, Geoff Neal and Michael “Venom” Page in his last three fights, solidifying his place in the loaded welterweight top-10.
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For the better part of 2024, Machado Garry has lobbied for a top-5 matchup and particularly one against former interim champion Colby Covington. Despite numerous back-and-forths online, the fight never came together. Nevertheless, the brash and confident 26-year-old is keen to amass his sixth win in less than two years.
While Machado Garry has long been tabbed as a future title challenger, Buckley is arguably the hottest 170-pounder outside of the top-5. “New Mansa” first burst onto the scene with an unforgettable knockout of Impa Kasanganay in October 2020 and spent his first two years on the roster in the middleweight division. Along the way, he put together a 5-4 record, including four performance bonuses. After suffering back-to-back losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis to close 2022, the St. Louis-native opted to move down to the welterweight division.
Buckley immediately thrived at 170 pounds and tallied five wins in five outings in the weightclass, including knockout wins over Vicente Luque and, most recently at UFC 307, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. The 30-year-old called out former welterweight king Kamaru Usman after his stunning finish in Salt Lake City, but a fourth win in 2024 and third over a top-15 welterweight would do wonders for his title shot hopes in 2025.
The welterweights will headline the final card of the year in UFC’s second trip to Florida in 2024. Although the division will have to wait and see if Belal Muhammad can hand Shavkat Rakhmonov his first loss and defend his belt until the champion is healthy, Machado Garry and Buckley could put themselves on the inside track to make their own title bid at some point next year.
Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates and news regarding events.
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