Islam Makhachev: Joaquin Buckley teases potential Islam Makhachev showdown with cold line

Earlier this month, Islam Makhachev confirmed his move to the welterweight division after vacating his lightweight title. Recently, UFC welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley shared his perspective on potentially fighting the Dagestani in the future.

Jack Della Maddalena captured the welterweight belt after dethroning Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision. After his move to welterweight, Makhachev will potentially face the Aussie champion in his next contest.

In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, Buckley issued a one-liner as to why he's a worthy contender for a fight against Makhachev:

"I say, if [Makhachev's] coming from the mountains, we're coming from the hood."

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Check out Joaquin Buckley's comments below (8:19):

Joaquin Buckley previews potential fight against Islam Makhachev

Since Islam Makhachev's move to welterweight, several contenders in the division have been looking for a fight against him. One among them is the No.7-ranked Joaquin Buckley, who believes himself to be the worst matchup for the Dagestani.

In an interview with Parry Punch, Buckley dismissed Jack Della Maddalena's chances against Makhachev, and instead focused on himself, stating:

"Even though me and Islam have never had a connection, I'll tell you right now, he's going to know a lot about me if we ever get booked to fight. The people he has struggled with and the people that have shown a couple of holes in his game, I'm going to be his worst nightmare, not JDM [Maddalena]. JDM has a lot of holes that Islam can exploit."

He continued:

"We've seen that from several fights with JDM. But with me though, what I did to Colby [Covington] and what I'm going to do to Kamaru [Usman], even Khabib [Nurmagomedov] will probably tell his a**, 'maybe moving up ain't a good idea.' I bet you, but I'm hunting for that. I want that pound for pound [status]."

Check out Joaquin Buckley's comments below:

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About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Sunil Krishnan