Joaquin Buckley challenged Israel Adesanya after Adesanya criticized him following Buckley’s loss to Kamaru Usman, leading to Buckley expressing frustration and calling out Adesanya for a potential fight.
Joaquin Buckley has thrown down the gauntlet to Israel Adesanya. After Buckley’s loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta, Adesanya didn’t hold back. On his YouTube channel, he called Buckley “annoying” and expressed his dislike for the welterweight contender.
Buckley, not one to stay silent, fired back on social media. He gave an honest take on his fight with Usman, then launched into a tirade against the former middleweight champ. “He knows what it’s like to take an L,” Buckley said on YouTube. “But saying you’re glad someone lost? That’s wild, bro.”
Why’s Adesanya mad at him? Buckley wonders aloud. It’s funny, he thinks, that Adesanya’s hating on him instead of the guy who took his belt. Buckley started in the UFC as a middleweight but found success at welterweight. The Usman fight was his first loss at 170 pounds.
Before dropping weight, Buckley had a run-in with Adesanya. He even asked to fight “The Last Stylebender.” “He’s trying to be funny, using his platform to talk trash,” Buckley said. “But that just shows how big my name’s getting.”
Buckley recalls meeting Adesanya at the UFC Performance Institute. He approached him, suggesting they’d make a great fight. Adesanya, he says, was quiet then. “I’m man enough to say it to your face,” Buckley remarked. “Why hide and hate?”
He didn’t stop there. “You ain’t no real fighter,” Buckley added. “You want to be a pretty boy. I’d give you a sample, but I don’t like boy p*ssy.” Buckley’s future is uncertain after his streak ended with Usman. But he’s open to moving back to middleweight to face Adesanya.
“You can get this work anytime, bro,” Buckley declared. “But I forgot… you ain’t another brother. The real African is DDP (Dricus du Plessis).” He questioned Adesanya’s roots, contrasting them with DDP’s ties to South Africa.
“DDP’s still getting it done in South Africa,” Buckley said. “But where are you? New Zealand? Australia? America? Who you riding with?”