Joaquin Buckley has vowed to prove he belongs among the elite fighters in his weight class.
Buckley (21–7 MMA, 11–5 UFC) made an impressive start to his run at welterweight after dropping down from 185 pounds in 2023. Over an 18-month stretch, “New Mansa” put together a six-fight winning streak that propelled him into the top 10 of the division rankings.
That momentum came to a halt when he faced former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Atlanta this past June. “The Nigerian Nightmare” turned back the clock, using his wrestling to control Buckley over five rounds and secure his first Octagon victory in nearly four years.
As he looks to rebound from that setback, Buckley has now unleashed a fiery verbal attack on the rest of the division’s contenders.
“All these other dudes, man, they get everything around them, given to them,” Buckley said in a video posted to his social media accounts. “I had to take everything that I had to build for. Brick by brick. Straight from the dirt. Straight from the mud. That's why these boys won't beat me. And I don't care about that Usman fight. That man had to hold me down. But don't nobody wanna fight with me toe-to-toe.”
Buckley has turned his attention to Shavkat Rakhmonov (19–0 MMA, 7–0 UFC), who recently indicated he is nearing a return after an extended absence. “Nomad” suffered a significant knee injury in his most recent appearance, a decision victory over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310 one year ago.
“Shavkat, I heard you trippin', I heard you talking,” Buckley continued. “Talking about ‘black boy.’ I'm (going to) show you that ‘black boy.’ I'm going to show you where the f*** we come from, how long that we've been struggling, how long we've been deprived, but how we still get up every single time we get knocked down and we run shit over. I'm going to f*** you up and anybody else that want it. See, Shavkat if you don't sign the mother**** (contract), somebody else (is)going to die. And I promise you that, dog. I'm burying everybody in the UFC and I ain’t playing.”
Rakhmonov spotted Buckley’s rant and responded promptly, tweeting: “You are delusional. I’d rather fight the guy who just whooped you than waste time on you kid. You can be my third option big mouth.”
