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Undefeated at welterweight, Joaquin Buckley is in a prime spot for his future.
His win over Colby Covington puts Buckley among the new elite of 170. But the win isn’t enough and there’s more work to be done.
Who will be the next opponent for Joaquin Buckley? Let’s look at a few options!
Joaquin Buckley wants Kamaru Usman
In his post fight interview, Joaquin Buckley gave out three options of which Kamaru Usman was decided the next choice.
Joaquin Buckley calls out Kamaru Usman 👀 #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/I8GRrSZEUL
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 6, 2024
Kamaru Usman would be the biggest name and the biggest challenge for Buckley to date. Usman is the former welterweight champion and the former pound for pound king.
The problem with the Usman fight is that he’s old and well past his prime. A win wouldn’t be worth that much more than wins like Covington, Thompson, and Luque. Buckley can benefit, but it doesn’t prove where the American is at skill wise. Other pastures may better prove that.
The fight that could have been
Before Ian Macado Garry took on Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, the Irishman was originally scheduled to face Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa. When Belal Muhammad pulled out, Garry was tapped to replace Muhammad in a title eliminator and Buckley took on Colby Covington on short notice.
As mentioned, Buckley struggles with being considered the elite (Rakhmonov, Garry, Maddelena). If Buckley wants to be a part of the cool kids club, he needs to beat someone in the cool kids club.
Ian Garry is that name. If Joaquin Buckley can get in there and run that fight that should have been, and then beat him, he could benefit from a boost in popularity. That’s a huge “if.”
The best logical option
Pitched in that post fight callout that didn’t get much fanfare was Leon Edwards. Throwing Muhammad aside in lieu of the Muhammad-Rakhmonov fight, Joaquin Buckley will likely want a fight in the meantime. Edwards is the best option logically.
Edwards is a former champion and a number one contender at welterweight. He’s truly elite, having beat prime Kamaru Usman, and still has a lot to give. Leon Edwards also provides a good test with a crafty striker who isn’t old and over the hill.
Should Joaquin Buckley beat Leon Edwards, he could get the nod for a title shot with the winner of Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
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