Joaquin Buckley entertained his hometown, St. Louis, with an impressive victory over Nursulton Ruziboev. Buckley is now undefeated in the UFC’s welterweight division, poised for a high-profile matchup. However, he missed the opportunity to make a realistic callout.
Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the UFC, scheduled to main event UFC 303 against Michael Chandler. One could say every fighter, from featherweight to welterweight, dreams of a matchup with the Irishman. Buckley had the same idea, as evidenced by his recent octagon interview.
There’s only one name you should call out if you’re on this mic, a powerful name. And that name is Conor McGregor. I want you. You’re fighting at 170 pounds, but you’re fighting a lightweight midg*t [Michael Chandler]. Come at me, bro. You said you built your weight up, but you’re bullying Sean O’Malley and Ryan Garcia. Come and bully me, dog.
Joaquin Buckley on the Octagon Interview
Moreover, Buckley bashed McGregor’s patriarchial lineage, calling them and the Irishman pr*stitutes. At this point in the Irishman’s career, McGregor is unlikely to fight Joaquin Buckley. It doesn’t make much sense. Buckley is a rising star, whereas McGregor has entered the twilight of his career. However, the callout did grab eyeballs.
Should’ve called for Ian Garry at ufc 303
— ken oh 🏴 (@leonedwardsszn) May 12, 2024
Before he was in the rankings, Buckley angled for a fight with Ian Garry, but Garry refused, citing the rankings. Now, Buckley would likely move to the top 10 in the rankings, and calling out Garry would’ve been realistic, particularly as Garry is without an opponent at UFC 303.
Fight fans react to Joaquin Buckley’s bizarre callout after beating Nursulton Ruziboev
Joaquin Buckley defeated Nursulton Ruziboev via a unanimous decision at the co-main event of UFC St. Louise. Even though Buckley won, the scorecards were all over the face as they read 30-27, 30-26, and 29-27.
Joaquin Buckley defeated Nursulton Ruziboev (Source: Instagram/UFC.go.com)Buckley had the opportunity to call welterweights in the top 5 or 10 of rankings but squandered the chance as he called out Conor McGregor. See how fight fans reacted to the callout below.
When he defeated Vicente Luque, Buckley had called out Gilbert Burns. A fight with Burns and a potential victory would’ve placed him near title contention at welterweight. If not Burns, Buckley should’ve called out top 10 fighters like Sean Brady, Stephen Thompson, or Geoff Neal.
Nevertheless, the best option was to call out Ian Garry, who wanted to fight at UFC 303. Garry’s priority is to fight Colby Covington, but he would have accepted the Buckley fight as Covington seems disinterested in fighting at UFC 303. All the fans feel it was a wasted effort from Buckley.
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