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Joaquin Buckley believes he beat Vicente Luque earlier than they even stepped within the cage collectively.
On Saturday night time, Buckley scored the largest win of his profession, ending Luque within the second spherical at UFC Atlantic City. The win was Buckley’s third in a row at welterweight and can virtually actually transfer him into the UFC’s divisional rankings.
Talking on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, Buckley stated he knew he was going to win earlier than the primary punch was even thrown.
“I really feel like Vicente simply give up in there — level clean, interval,” Buckley stated. “He give up. He didn’t wish to be in there within the first place. Earlier than the battle began, he didn’t wish to be in there. Once you’re a fighter, you possibly can simply sense these issues. It’s exhausting to elucidate. You’ve bought to get in there and discover out.
“I knew it the second I noticed him. The second I noticed him at weigh-ins, I knew it.”
For the primary 9 fights of his UFC profession, Buckley competed at middleweight. Since returning to 170 kilos this previous 12 months, “New Mansa” is 3-0 and inching towards turning into a reputable title risk.
When requested what’s modified for the 29-year-old to place him on such an excellent run, he stated it’s merely a matter of combating in his correct weight class.
“I really feel just like the distinction for me and who I’m is, now I’m combating within the weight class I ought to have been combating in for the longest time,” Buckley stated. “It’s nonetheless me. It’s nonetheless the identical previous man, however I really feel like for me, getting success and with the ability to actually showcase my expertise and my ability set in truth — I believe individuals assume there’s a distinction, however it’s actually not. I wasn’t combating within the acceptable weight class for myself at 185.”
Buckley added that a part of the rationale he moved to middleweight within the first place was that he struggled to search out fights at 170 kilos. Now that he’s a going concern at welterweight, he gained’t have that problem, and he hopes to have his subsequent one lined up quickly.
After the win, Buckley known as to headline the upcoming UFC St. Louis card, which takes place Could 11. The cardboard is at present headlined by a heavyweight battle between Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento, however Buckley believes he has an opportunity to take that prime spot with the best opponent.
“That’s only a feeling that I’ve,” Buckley stated. “If I’m in a position to battle in St. Louis, I wish to make it price it. I wish to come again and placed on a present on the highest degree, which might be a fundamental occasion. As an alternative of simply being part of the present, I might be the present. I’d be the rationale why everyone is coming to the occasion. It’s only a feeling.”
And so far as opponents go, Buckley shouldn’t be too specific. He declined to name out anybody particularly, however stated he was open to a matchup with Luque’s teammate at Kill Cliff FC, Gilbert Burns. As he famous, he has loads of historical past with Kill Cliff fighters and Burns, who’s at present the No. 6 welterweight within the UFC rankings.
“I really love the thought of Gilbert Burns,” Buckley stated. “Proper now we’re 3-1 towards that crew. The primary man that beat me from that crew was Logan Storley again in Bellator. He held me down for 15 [minutes]. After that I knocked out Impa Kasanganay, Andre Fialho, and now their boy Vicente. So now I’m 3-1 with them.”
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