Athletes
Joaquin Buckley: ‘I Feel Like Change Is Necessary’
Welterweight Joaquin Buckley Aims For Sixth Straight Win Since Switching Weight Divisions In His First Main Event At UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley
He’s on a five-fight win streak, and as he returns for his fourth trip to the Octagon this year, it’s safe to say Joaquin Buckley is a major problem at 170 pounds.
“New Mansa” was originally scheduled to face Ian Machado Garry in Tampa’s headliner, but with welterweight champion Belal Muhammad pulling out of his first title defense due to injury, Machado Garry filled in over the weekend, where he lost a unanimous decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov.
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When Muhammad announced his injury, there were a few days until an official announcement from the UFC, leaving Buckley wondering what was going on. Fortunately for Buckley, he kept his main event spot and now gets to face former interim champion Colby Covington.
“The performance that I’m going to put on Colby Covington, I can probably take the opportunity to fight for the belt one day,” Buckley explained to UFC.com.
Although Machado Garry is also an elite contender at welterweight, he doesn’t have the accomplishments like Covington yet, and he’s one spot below Buckley’s new opponent in the current rankings.
Everything shaped out nicely for the Missouri native. Now he’s completely focused on the multi-time title challenger at a very important stage in his career.
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“The pace that he’s able to put on guys is tremendous. He might not have much punching power and the ability to finish guys, but he has a good ability of breaking guys and wearing them out mentally.”
It’s no secret that Covington essentially has a fighting style that is completely opposite to Machado Garry’s and believes he only has one way to potentially have success on Saturday night.
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“To be honest with you, he has no other choice but to wrestle. My man gotta wrestle for his life, but with that being said, I like that challenge. I like the idea that he is going out there to shoot and try to grapple and use his best weapon. And yet again, it’s still not going to be enough.”
For most of Buckley’s professional career, his training was based in Michigan. He moved back home to St Louis earlier this year to be with family and to train at the same time.
After now having two fight camps back home already, Buckley’s in a routine.
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“There were a lot of things that we had to get structured, but now we got it clocked in. We know who we’re working with, I know my coaches that I’m working with, I’m still working with the guys in Michigan, as well, and I just feel like I really got a solid foundation that I’m building back home in St Louis.”
At 30 years old, “New Mansa” has a lot of experience. He’s about to make his 15th walk as a UFC athlete in just over four years, he’s fought five times under Bellator, and twice with LFA. Buckley’s used to change and, unlike some of his contemporaries, he embraces it.
Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley | UFC Journey
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Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley | UFC Journey
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“I feel like change is necessary; you can’t keep doing the same things.” Buckley said. “Even though a lot of people are like, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, nah, I don’t believe in that. I believe that you always gotta grow and you always gotta put yourself in the position where you’re getting better. I feel like with this move and with this change, I have been able to adapt my game just a little bit better, and that’s why you keep seeing me grow.”
Since moving back home, Buckley’s development seems to have continued at a rapid pace, and he had the perfect explanation why.
“A lot of people that I have that’s coaching me, they don’t have a bunch of fighters that they’re looking out for. It’s just me. With that being said, it’s just all focused and all eyes are on me, so any details or anything that we need to fix or structure, that’s what we fix.”
FULL FIGHTS: Joaquin Buckley vs Stephen Thompson | Colby Covington vs Jorge Masvidal
The work and the details he’s talking about came to fruition in his last outing. Knocking out Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a huge accomplishment and, according to Buckley, it was always going to happen.
“We knew we was gonna get the knockout up against the cage so that’s why we kept pushing him up against the cage. And as he’s thinking. ‘Oh, he’s gonna wrestle me,’ we change our level, we come back upstairs and we got the knockout. Yet again, it’s just being versatile and being dynamic in the cage, I think that’s one thing I can do.”
With an impressive win on Saturday over a divisional mainstay, Buckley will move to 6-0 at welterweight and likely into the top six. And with a fun personality and a dynamic style inside the Octagon, be on the lookout for “New Mansa” to approach the top of the division.
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley took place live from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on December 14, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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