Athletes
Joaquin Buckley Win Streak Has Him Close To Title Contention
With Six Wins In A Row Since Moving To Welterweight, Joaquin Buckley Is Out To Establish Himself As A Top Contender In His Second Main Event Opportunity
Of all the welterweights in the increasingly crowded title picture, none of them have had a rise up the rankings like Joaquin Buckley.
The St. Louis-bred Buckley came onto the scene in August 2020, making his debut against Kevin Holland when Holland was in the midst of his record-breaking campaign in which he picked up five wins over the span of seven months. The debut loss didn’t break “New Mansa.”
Quite the opposite.
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In his sophomore outing against Impa Kasanganay, Buckley produced what was simply one of the greatest knockouts in mixed martial arts history. That finish could’ve defined Buckley’s career, but he proved he wasn’t a one-hit wonder, picking up three more knockouts and four more wins overall in the ensuing eight months. His momentum stymied when he suffered back-to-back losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis, bringing his UFC account to 5-4.
Following his loss to Curtis, Buckley knew it was time for a change—or rather, a return. In 2023, Buckley moved down to welterweight, where he spent the first 10 fights of his professional career. At 5-foot-8, it made plenty of sense. No longer undersized while still carrying exceptional knockout power and explosiveness, Buckley began a new chapter that has him close to a title shot as he approaches his main event against Kamaru Usman on June 14 in Atlanta.
New Weight Class, New Mansa
Buckley’s back wasn’t necessarily against the wall when he made his UFC welterweight debut against André Fialho, but it was telling that he was matched up with another fighter also on a two-fight skid. It was gut-check time, and Buckley rose to the occasion. Late in the second round, Buckley connected with a head kick that folded Fialho and earned Buckley his first win in 11 months.
His next test was a veteran one in the form of Alex Morono. The veteran Texan had only been finished twice in the 17 UFC bouts that preceded his matchup with Buckley, so Buckley understood he was in for a durable test. That’s what he got, and he passed with flying colors. Although he didn’t add another knockout to his ledger, Buckley dominated while showing he had the cardio for 15 minutes, picking up a unanimous decision win.
He had found new life at 170 pounds
The Breakout Year
Now established as a welterweight, Buckley took to moving up the ladder. The first opportunity came against the all-action Vicente Luque in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Fiorot. While most expected fireworks, Buckley instead broke Luque down over the course of two rounds and eventually scored a ground-and-pound finish. It was only the second time the Brazilian had been knocked out in 33 professional fights, and the result placed Buckley in the division’s top 15.
With an event in St. Louis coming about six weeks later, Buckley badly wanted a spot on the card. It took some work, though, so a month before the event was scheduled, Buckley crashed the UFC 300 pre-fight press conference to ask UFC CEO Dana White for a fight. He got his wish in the form of Nursulton Ruziboev. The matchup put Buckley’s recently earned number-next-to-his-name at risk as Ruziboev had just two UFC fights (both wins) on his record. Alas, Buckley signed the contract and delivered a decision win to his hometown fans.
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With a win at home under his belt, Buckley would return to his ascent up the welterweight ladder five months later against the ever slippery and skilled Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 307. Tasked with solving the dangerous puzzle that is Thompson, Buckley eagerly applied himself as he tried to close the distance and land heavy on the karate specialist. The first two rounds were close and, to the judges’ eyes, a bit confusing. At the end of round two, the scorecards read 20-18 for Thompson, 20-18 for Buckley and 19-19.
As is his wont, Buckley took the judges out of it when he launched himself at Thompson and connected with a nuclear right hand to hand “Wonderboy” just the second knockout loss of his career. If there were any questions about whether Buckley belonged in the top 10, those were replaced with questions about whether Buckley could make some noise in the top 5.
Controlled Chaos And A Certified Contender
After 26 professional fights and 14 fights in four years with the mixed martial arts leader, the 31-year-old Buckley got his first main event opportunity against one of the top welterweights of the last few years in Colby Covington. The bout came a year after Covington’s third bid for undisputed UFC gold, and he hoped a win over Buckley would position him for his fourth crack at the title. Buckley had other plans, namely certifying himself as a title contender.
Making the walk for the fourth time in nine months, Buckley delivered his finest performance yet. He thwarted Covington’s grappling, scored a takedown of his own in the second round (the lone successful takedown of the fight) and landed his strikes at a 49-percent clip. After about 14 minutes of relative domination, Buckley earned a doctor’s stoppage win.
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It was clear: Buckley was here to stay and make noise in the title picture.
Perfect through six welterweight fights in the Octagon, Buckley carries all that momentum into his second main event and first fight with a former champion. Usman, who is seeking his first win since December 2021, is desperate to re-establish himself among the welterweight elite. Buckley hasn’t minded playing spoiler, however. With Jack Della Maddalena spearheading the new guard at 170 pounds, along with Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry and Michael Morales (not to mention Islam Makhachev’s intentions to challenge for a second belt), Buckley hopes to distinguish himself the only way he knows how: by delivering fireworks in the Octagon.
UFC Fight Night: Usman vs Buckley took place live from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on June 14, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!