UFC welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley issued his first public remarks after UFC Atlanta.
Joaquin Buckley fell just short of a potential welterweight title shot in losing to Kamaru Usman in the UFC Atlanta headliner on Saturday. After an impressive win streak since moving down to 170 lbs, Buckley lost to Usman by unanimous decision, as he was unable to counter Usman’s relentless pressure and elite wrestling.
Buckley did have some exciting moments late, hurting Usman bad with a few heavy punches in the fifth round. But it wasn’t enough to make up the lopsided nature of the judges’ scorecards as Usman coasted to his first win in four years.
Despite the loss to Usman, Buckley is in good spirits as he looks to get back on track and return to the welterweight title mix.
Joaquin Buckley dismisses Kamaru Usman’s wrestling-dominant approach at UFC Atlanta
In a recent Instagram post, Buckley reflected on his performance at UFC Atlanta.
“Hand wasn’t raised last night but I am still victorious and will be one of the greats,” Buckley declared.
“This trip has been beyond amazing and I wouldn’t change a thing that happened in my fight camp everything was perfectly planned I just didn’t execute like I know I could… we wanted to land early damage on Usman and get him moving back but he did a good job neutralizing threats with takedowns.
“But don’t get it twisted usman was more concerned about holding me than hurting me in this fight but he did what he felt was necessary to win and so can’t be mad at him Congrats to [Usman] and his Team and [Francis Ngannou] I saw message.
“Excited about the welterweight division. See ya when I see ya.”
After watching Usman vs. Buckley, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou praised both men, which is what Buckley was referencing in the above quotes. Ngannou called Usman ‘inspiring’ after snapping his three-fight losing streak.
Kamaru Usman praised by Belal Muhammad despite bitter welterweight feud
Usman wants a welterweight title shot for his next fight, but that’ll have to wait a while as Jack Della Maddalena is expected to face Islam Makhachev later this year. A No. 1 contender fight between Muhammad and Usman has been proposed, but Usman dismissed it following UFC Atlanta.
Despite Usman and Muhammad having their fair share of bad blood in recent months, Muhammad credited Usman for his performance at UFC Atlanta. Muhammad lost the UFC welterweight title to Maddalena at UFC 315 last month.
After getting back in the win column, Usman is back in the title mix and is on the road to redemption in the welterweight division. As for Buckley, expect him to get another high-profile booking later this year.
- READ MORE: Francis Ngannou praises ‘inspiring’ Kamaru Usman after first win in nearly four years at UFC Atlanta