‘New Mansa’ is certainly no stranger to the spotlight ahead of the biggest fight of his UFC career.
On June 14, Joaquin Buckley will face Kamaru Usman as the surging welterweight contender looks to earn his first win over a former champion.
‘New Mansa’ has been on a remarkable run as of late, having stopped the likes of Stephen Thompson and the former interim champion, Colby Covington.
Though the 170 pound powerhouse is certainly increasing his stock with each win, his current streak may not be the highlight of his career to date.
After Buckley suffered a difficult loss to Kevin Holland, he rebounded in style with one of the most instantly iconic knockouts in the history of the UFC.
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Joaquin Buckley spun mid-air to knock Impa Kasanganay with one jaw-dropping kick that broke UFC records
Joaquin Buckley first arrived in the UFC in August of 2020 where he was knocked out by Kevin Holland in the third round having previously fought in Bellator and LFA.
‘New Mansa’ would attempt to earn his first win inside the Octagon just two months later when he made the walk on fight island.
On October 11, Buckley faced Impa Kasanganay, who already had a UFC win under his belt after coming through Dana White’s Contender Series.
Buckley won the first round on all three scorecards while the stats show an incredibly competitive contest with him landing two fewer significant strikes than Kasanganay.
The stats became irrelevant in the second round when the fighter in the blue corner landed one of the most significant strikes in UFC history.
After his opponent caught one of his kicks, Buckley spun on one leg to kick Kasanganay in the face with his other leg, knocking him out instantly.
The knockout immediately went viral with the Matrix-style kick breaking the UFC’s records for their most watched video and post on Instagram and Twitter.
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Joaquin Buckley’s success has made him much more than the spinning head kick guy
After suffering some setbacks, there was a chance that Joaquin Buckley would forever be remembered for his one knockout victory.
‘New Mansa’ returned to welterweight in 2023 where he has truly hit the ground running, rattling off six consecutive wins with four of them coming in 2024.
With a win over Kamaru Usman in Atlanta, there’s a reasonable argument for Buckley being the next title challenger if he’s able to make a statement against ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’.
As for Impa Kasanganay, he would leave the UFC several fights after his loss to Buckley before joining the PFL where in 2023, he became a millionaire by winning the light heavyweight tournament.