Joaquin Buckley recently stirred up the UFC community by calling out former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman on social media. Buckley took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his desire for a match against Usman,
writing, “Ya can say what ya want but me vs @USMAN84kg would go crazy and he not booked.”
This bold callout prompted a response from fellow UFC fighter Derek Brunson, who warned Buckley about the challenge of facing Usman. Brunson suggested that Buckley, who is relatively young and still building his career, should reconsider taking on such a formidable opponent, advising him to skip the fight. Brunson’s response was straightforward: “You’re young, that’s a tall task. I’d skip that fight!”
This isn’t the first time Buckley has made headlines with his callouts. After a victory at UFC St. Louis, Buckley used his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping to call out Conor McGregor, accusing McGregor of avoiding real welterweight competition. Buckley challenged McGregor directly, saying,
“[Conor McGregor] I want you, you’re fighting at 170lbs but you ain’t fighting a welterweight, you’re fighting a lightweight midget. Come at me bro, come at me, you said you built your weight up but you’re bullying Sean O’Malley and Ryan Garcia, come and bully me dawg.”
Currently on a four-fight win streak, Buckley has secured victories over fighters like Andre Fialho, Alex Morono, and Vicente Luque. His most recent bout at UFC St. Louis saw him defeat Nursulton Ruziboev via unanimous decision in a welterweight matchup. This winning streak has bolstered Buckley’s confidence, leading him to challenge some of the biggest names in the sport.
Kamaru Usman, on the other hand, recently lost to Khamzat Chimaev by majority decision at UFC 294 but has hinted at a potential return to the welterweight division. While a matchup between Usman and Buckley seems highly doubtful at this point, it remains an intriguing possibility given the dynamics of the division and the promotional appeal of such a fight.
Looking ahead, Buckley appears eager to take on high-profile opponents. Aside from calling out Usman and McGregor, Buckley has also shown interest in fighting former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and Rafael dos Anjos, both of whom have expressed interest in moving up to the welterweight division. Buckley’s ambition is clear in his social media post:
“All these Lightweights moving up to 170 @ufc Sh***t all this heavy lifting I’ve been doing I am looking for some light work. RDA, Oliveira, Chandler, and McGregor.”
As Buckley continues to make his mark in the UFC, it will be interesting to see which high-profile fight materializes next for the rising welterweight contender.
