After a frustrating losing streak, Joaquin BuckleyThe UFC era is coming to an end.
In May 2023, Buckley injected new spark into his career by dropping down to lightweight after years of being undersized at 185 pounds. The results were immediate as Buckley snapped a six-game winning streak that included downtime wins Colby Covington and Stephen Thompson. He was in the top five and then came within a shot of the title As Jack Della Maddalena was awarded a title opportunity on short notice versus Belal Muhammad after an unfortunate injury Shavkat Rakhmonov.
That opportunity could have gone to Buckley, who arguably had the better run in the Octagon. Instead, Buckley returned to action a few months later and suffered an upset loss Kamaru Usman. Since then, he has lost two more times due to being held back Sean Brady and then kicked out Mike Malott last month (see it here).
After the last defeat, Buckley shockingly announced his intention to retire after another fight. Buckley has now revealed that his frustration at missing out on a title shot played a role in the decision.
“That’s why I did this sport: to be a champion,” Buckley said Parry Punch. “There’s nothing else. I don’t want to be st-otherwise – not in the top five, Top 10, Top 15. I did this st to be the reigning champion because that’s what they said. If you want to get paid, if you want to eat what you kill, you have to win that belt.
“And I had one chance. I had one chance that they could have really given me, but they didn’t. And they played me. And I’m sorry, I can’t get over it. And then the mother-ker says, ‘Buck, do it again. We believe in you.” You have to believe in something else.”
It’s clear that Buckley is flustered by the whole situation. With 30 professional bouts under his belt, Buckley has certainly put his time into the sport and is currently well under his belt. Leaving is a completely reasonable decision, and yet “Uus Mansa” is only 32 years old and still at the peak of his career.
