Eleventh-ranked welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley is usually not too far away from getting into a beef with a fellow fighter.
However, this looked to be a difficult task for his next fight, considering the ‘nice guy’ public perception of Stephen Thompson.
“Wonderboy” is widely regarded to be one of the kindest fighters on the roster and has rarely been seen to lose his cool, even in the midst of a fist-fight.
Buckley isn’t convinced by this representation of Thompson, though, and believes that the welterweight stalwart isn’t who people think he is.
With the two men set to meet inside the Octagon on October 5, he voiced his opinions on his opponent’s supposed persona.
Joaquin Buckley Says Stephen Thompson Isn’t Who Fans Think He Is
Ahead of their meeting at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Buckley spoke about his previous interactions with Thompson.
The two men crossed paths at International Fight Week early this year, where “New Mansa” believes that he saw a different side to the striking specialist.
In an interview with Inside Fighting, he spoke about how in his opinion, Thompson is a different person when he knows that people are watching.
“Nothing crazy, yet again, I’m just trying to push him to make the fight happen but I really feel like, you know, at the end of the day, with me and ‘Wonderboy’, it is what it is. I try to be myself no matter where I go but I feel like, for me, it’s just that ‘Wonderboy’ is the type of individual that yet again, when you got him on camera, he’s smiling in your face, he’s saying nice things but at the end of the day, it’s the fight biz’ so you know, however he made me feel that day, I don’t think it was the nice guy that everybody mentions.”
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