Joaquin Buckley is fighting in the UFC 307 prelims against Stephen Thompson. The welterweight matchup is expected to be a back-and-forth striking brawl, leaving many disappointed it didn't make it to the main card.
With four straight wins in the welterweight division, Buckley is aiming to secure a title shot as quickly as possible. A win over "Wonderboy" would undoubtedly boost and place him in the top 10.
The current title challenger at welterweight is most likely Shavkat Rakhmonov, though. As per Buckley, the undefeated prospect with a 100% finish rate is not as skilled as fans believe and will be soundly beaten by Belal Muhammad...
Joaquin Buckley Claims His Wins Over Shavkat Rakhmonov's Teammates Are Why "Nomad" Ducked Him
Buckley appeared in an interview on the Inside Fighting YouTube channel and discussed his next fight alongside the state of the UFC welterweight division.
"New Mansa" gave the new welterweight kingpin his props, appreciating his work ethic and long road to the title. However, he's not a fan of Rakhmonov, who's potentially Muhammad's first defense.
Buckley revealed he offered to fight "Nomad" when Jack Della Maddalena had to pull out, but the offer was declined. He also boasts wins over members of the Kill Cliff FC team, where Rakhmonov trains.
The welterweight compared Rakhmonov’s durability to early Vicente Luque but expects the hype to fade once the Kazakh fighter faces elite competition like Muhammad.
Because he knew there was a risk that I beat the majority of his teammates that he trains with. That yes, that we got the number on the whole Kill Cliff can over there. So, I just don't think Shavkat is as good as people claim. But you know, I feel like he definitely going to get exposed eventually, you know. If that's not by me, that's definitely going to be by Belal.
For now, Buckley's focus is on getting past a tough veteran in "Wonderboy", a nightmare for most fighters on the feet.