Joaquin Buckley, after defeating Vicente Luque in the second round at UFC Atlantic City, believes he sensed Luque’s lack of will to fight before the match even began, and attributes his recent success to fighting in his proper weight class.
Joaquin Buckley is confident that he had Vicente Luque beat before they even entered the cage. This past Saturday night, Buckley achieved a career highlight. He finished Luque in the second round at UFC Atlantic City.
This victory marks Buckley’s third consecutive win in the welterweight division. It’s likely to catapult him into the UFC’s divisional rankings.
Buckley shared his thoughts on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour. He was certain of his victory even before the first punch was thrown.
Buckley didn’t mince words about Luque. “I feel like Vicente just quit in there — point blank, period,” he said. “He quit. He didn’t want to be in there in the first place.”
Buckley felt Luque’s reluctance even before the fight started. “When you’re a fighter, you can just sense those things,” he explained. “It’s hard to explain. You’ve got to get in there and find out.”
Buckley’s instincts were on high alert. “I knew it the moment I saw him. The moment I saw him at weigh-ins, I knew it.”
Buckley’s UFC career began with nine fights at middleweight. But since returning to 170 pounds this past year, “New Mansa” is 3-0. He’s on the cusp of becoming a serious title contender.
When asked about his winning streak, the 29-year-old attributed it to fighting in his proper weight class.
Buckley believes he’s now where he should have been all along. “I feel like the difference for me and who I am is, now I’m fighting in the weight class I should have been fighting in for the longest time,” he said.
He added that his move to middleweight was initially due to a lack of fights at 170 pounds. Now, as a rising star in the welterweight division, he doesn’t foresee that issue. He’s eager to line up his next fight.
Following his win, Buckley expressed his desire to headline the upcoming UFC St. Louis card on May 11. The card is currently headlined by a heavyweight fight between Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento. However, Buckley believes he could steal the spotlight with the right opponent.
“That’s just a feeling that I have,” Buckley said. “If I’m able to fight in St. Louis, I want to make it worth it. I want to come back and put on a show at the highest level, which would be a main event.”
As for potential opponents, Buckley isn’t picky. He’s open to a matchup with Luque’s teammate at Kill Cliff FC, Gilbert Burns.
“I actually love the idea of Gilbert Burns,” Buckley said. “Right now we’re 3-1 against that team. The first guy that beat me from that team was Logan Storley back in Bellator. He held me down for 15 [minutes]. After that I knocked out Impa Kasanganay, Andre Fialho, and now their boy Vicente. So now I’m 3-1 with them.”