Joaquin Buckley tried his best to get a finish against Nursulton Rujiboev in the third round of the UFC co-main event on ESPN 56, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Despite a dominant third round in which Buckley dropped his opponent and dominated by a 64-16 count with key strikes, Luzhboev was able to advance to the final horn. Still, there was no doubt about the final verdict as “The New Mantha” emerged with a clear unanimous decision victory Saturday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, clinching his fourth consecutive UFC title.
“I’m not going to lie, I think (referee Keith) Peterson had someone else’s money, he should have stopped the fight a long time ago,” Buckley said Saturday. He spoke at a later press conference. “But it is what it is. He’s a tough guy. He stayed there because he had a strong motivation to win. His will was strong.”
This performance was particularly important for Buckley, a St. Louis native who had been working towards a spot on the card following his March 30 win over Vicente Luque.
“This win means a lot because we have someone who represents our city in a positive way and in a positive light,” Buckley said. “I grew up here, I was born here, I grew up here. I’m the image for kids that you can follow your dreams and always do what you want to do. That being said, , this win is definitely going to be a great positive outlet for the kids and a great positive outlet for me to get out there and continue doing what I’m doing.”
Buckley can’t necessarily do everything he wants, at least when it comes to postgame callouts. Buckley used his microphone time to lobby for a fight with Conor McGregor, but UFC CEO Dana White quickly shot down the idea while on the podium. Buckley didn’t necessarily think his request would be heeded, but it didn’t hurt to take his shot.
“I said, ‘I’m definitely not going to get it, but why not take a chance? That’s what I’ve been doing up until this moment, so why not make the loudest noise I can?’ ” Buckley said. “If Michael Chandler didn’t show up to the game.” [at UFC 303]Amazingly, a “new Mansa” will be completed. ”
With that in mind, Buckley switched to a more realistic opponent for his next match.
“Gilbert Burns, I think it’s a great match. It’s a beautiful matchup,” Buckley said. “I don’t know when he’s going to be ready or when he’s going to be released, but definitely Gilbert Burns.”
Burns, a former welterweight title challenger, has lost his last two appearances inside the Octagon. His last fight was at UFC 299, where he lost by third round knockout to Jacques Della Maddalena on March 9th.
