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Joaquin Buckley secured the biggest win of his career at UFC Atlantic City when he defeated Vicente Luque via TKO in the co-main event.
'New Mansa' has now won three fights in a row since returning to the welterweight division, and his victory over Luque has seen him enter the division's top 15 at No. 11.
However, the American has now stated that he initially did not intend to knock out his opponent. He pointed to the brain bleed that 'The Silent Assassin' suffered in his KO loss to Geoff Neal in 2022 as the main reason and wanted to submit Luque instead.
However, an interaction with one of the Brazilian coaches angered the welterweight contender, and he detailed what happened during a recent interview with Michael Bisping.
The 29-year-old said this:
"It ain't what he said, it's what he did. At the hotel where all the fighters are, I went to go check my weight to make sure we was good. Henri Hooft was downstairs by himself... We ended up crossing paths. When we first met each other it was all love... But this time, he looked at us and he does this *sleeping on his hands*. He continues to walk away and didn't say anything. That twisted my whole mentality. I was like, 'I'm gonna put your boy down, now.' Because he's telling me, 'We're gonna knock you out tomorrow.'"
Watch Joaquin Buckley's interview below from 2:45:
Joaquin Buckley fires back at fans for criticizing his win over Vicente Luque
Joaquin Buckley's move from middleweight back down to welterweight has worked out perfectly. He defeated Vicente Luque via TKO at UFC Atlantic City, but there has been some criticism about the result.
'The Silent Assassin' showcased an uncharacteristic performance as he pulled guard in Round 2, something he has seldom done in the past. After finding himself in bottom position, he made little attempt to try and get back to his feet. He was subject to powerful ground-and-pound strikes from 'New Mansa' until the referee stopped the fight.
Some fans have accused Luque of throwing the fight, while Buckley believes that the Brazilian didn't want to be in the octagon in the first place.
The No.11-ranked welterweight has fired back at fans following his win, saying this:
"I'm tired of y'all acting like I'm not that dude, I beat Vicente fair and square. Everything that I did, I broke that man with countless combinations. Hard shots, you saw that man quit."
Watch Joaquin Buckley's video below:
