Athletes
Joaquin Buckley: “I Need Another Banger”
UFC Welterweight Joaquin Buckley Is Excited To Deliver Another Trademark Performance Against Alex Morono At UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs Green
Almost three years ago to the day, Joaquin Buckley delivered a knockout that generated some of the most buzz we’ve ever seen from a UFC fight.
His spinning back kick win over Impa Kasanganay in Abu Dhabi put him on the map as must-watch TV, but Buckley doesn’t identify that knockout as his career defining moment – after all, that knockout was just his first victory in the UFC.
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The 29-year-old Buckley has now made the walk to the Octagon a total of ten times across two weight classes, and he feels like his signature performance or moment is still yet to come.
“I think it’s coming,” Buckley told UFC.com. “Give it a year.”
Buckley’s confidence comes from the fact that he competed with some serious contenders in the middleweight division, and now that he’s fighting one weight division down at welterweight, he feels like he’s going to be too much for the current contenders at 170 pounds.
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That proved to be true when put an exclamation point on his welterweight debut by knocking out André Fialho in late May.
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“My strength, my speed, my footwork, my punching combinations,” Buckley listed out. “There’s not much that these welterweight fighters can do to me, but as we climb up the ladder, we’ll find out.”
The emphatic win over Fialho was the first step to climbing that ladder; the next step will come against veteran Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs Green.
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Morono is approaching his seven-year anniversary on the UFC roster and the Houston-based fighter has quietly put together a strong resume full of exciting performances. He’s beaten Max Griffin, Donald Cerrone, Matthew Semelsberger, and Tim Means. And if not for a short notice loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio in which he was handily winning for most of the bout, Morono would be entering this bout with Buckley on a six-fight win streak.
One thing that Buckley appreciates about Morono’s game is that he is confident that the Texan isn’t afraid to scrap. Buckley loves a good fight, and he thinks that Morono will oblige him to have just that once the Octagon door shuts on October 7.
“At the end of the day, Alex Morono is coming out there and he’s going to try to bang,” Buckley said. “He’s going to try to knock my head off, and I need another banger, as well. At the end of the day, everybody is going to win.
“When people watch me fight, they know it’s going to be something exciting, so that’s one thing that I’m always stoked about – giving people an exciting fight to watch.”
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“New Mansa” isn’t taking a well-rounded fighter like Morono lightly. He’s drilled every bit of Morono’s game, and he feels like he’s ready for whatever comes his way at the UFC APEX.
“That’s the one thing about this game. There are so many ways to win, but there are so many ways to lose,” Buckley said. “You just got to make sure that you’re prepared for anything that might happen, so I just got to go out there and make sure that I don’t give him any opportunities to win. That’s it.”
Buckley has always known he’s had the physical attributes to be a true contender in the UFC, but he’s had to find the right mindset to catch up to his physical talents. In his move to welterweight, he’s found that space and he’s dialed in on getting better as a fighter and as a man.
“The biggest lesson was not allowing outside energy or opinions or thoughts to affect you,” Buckley said. “Always focus on yourself and make sure that you’re not just getting better in the training room, but in life.”
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All that’s left is for him to go out there and take care of business in exciting fashion.
“Ain’t nothing going to be easy,” Buckley said. “But I’ll make it look easy.”
UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs Green took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 7, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
