Joaquin Buckley does not want viral spinning kick to define him (Exclusive)

Joaquin Buckley recently revisited his iconic spinning back kick knockout against Impa Kasanganay during their middleweight contest in October 2020. While "New Mansa" is undoubtedly enjoying the fruits of his exceptional finish, he wishes to be recognized for more than only that particular moment.

In the second round of their bout at UFC Fight Island 5, Kasanganay caught a left body kick thrown by Buckley. Without hesitation, Buckley astutely used his opponent's hold to propel himself into the air and land a spectacular spinning back kick to Kasanganay's head.

The fight-ending highlight reel kick won him the 'Knockout of the Year' award in 2020 and propelled 'New Mansa' to stardom. However, Joaquin Buckley is tired of being identified by that one knockout alone and wants to show fans how much more he has to offer.

In an exclusive interview with Andrew Whitelaw for Sportskeeda MMA, when Joaquin Buckley was asked about his mindset before the kick, he replied:

"Everybody knows what was going on in my head. I was broke... I had to go out there and pull something out of my a** to let the world know who the f**k I was... I don't want to live by that kick. I don't want it to become the definition of me. But f**k that, I'm about to show everybody how great I am."

Catch Joaquin Buckley's comments below (1:28):

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Joaquin Buckley reveals brutally honest reason behind moving down to welterweight

Joaquin Buckley is set to face Andre Fialho at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill in his welterweight debut at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas today. Initially a middleweight, Buckley recently explained why he's decided to make a move down to the welterweight division.

'New Mansa' did not have the best start to his UFC career and was knocked out by Kevin Holland in his promotional debut at UFC Vegas 6. However, he quickly redeemed himself against Impa Kasanganay, going on to win five of his next six outings.

The 29-year-old then hit a rough patch and is currently on a two-fight losing streak. He was also brutally knocked out in his last outing against Chris Curtis. At a recent pre-fight presser, Joaquin Buckley explained that he's leaving the middleweight division to avoid getting knocked out by powerful opponents, saying:

"Yeah. I got tired of getting knocked out...Being at 185, you got a lot of heavy hitters out there... It's not about being scared, it's about being smart... I'm about to run past these dudes at welterweight. Let's get this money."

Catch UFC Fight Night 223: Dern vs. Hill in India live on Sunday from 4:30 am only on Sony Sports Network.