Buckley has been on a mission lately, calling out the likes of
Dustin Poirier, Josh Hockey,
Max Holloway and other things
Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes for using the N-word. Vettori argues that Buckley is unnecessarily dragging racism into things that aren’t that serious, getting a response from “New Mansa.”
What Marvin Vettori had to say about Joaquin Buckley’s sparring challenge
Buckley responded by challenging Vettori to a no-round sparring match at the UFC Performance Institute. He also recalled the incident with Vettori at
Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. The UFC lightweight claims he was preparing for a fight when Vettori called him out for a punch. When Buckley refused, Vettori told him to stop being “soft.” In the end, they didn’t spar and Vettori jokingly called him out for it. Buckley believes he should have set his boundaries with Vettori back then.
Responding to Buckley, Vettori says he didn’t think much of their meeting at Xtreme Couture. The former middleweight title challenger claims he doesn’t even have a personal problem with Buckley, but he will retaliate if necessary.
“Honestly, I never saw this match as anything,” Vettori wrote on X. “I realized that sometimes people prepare for a fight for ortho and I’m a southpaw so it wasn’t a problem for me. You see something as a reason to start some shit or racial shit. You’re the one who said you’re going to do something when you see me and I honestly, but I honestly don’t see anything when I see something. Finally answer.”
To be honest, I never saw this meeting as anything, I understood that sometimes there is fighting, that people prepare for ortho and I’m a southpaw, so it wasn’t a problem for me. You see something as a reason to start some shit, or racial shit.
— Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori)
November 9, 2026
