Joaquin Buckley is set to retire after one more fight. Joaquin Buckley has announced that his next fight will be the final appearance of his MMA career, revealing that a heartfelt conversation with his grandmother helped him decide it was time to walk away from the sport.
The UFC welterweight made the announcement on Thursday, October 22, just five days after suffering a second-round knockout loss to Mike Malott in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott in Edmonton, Canada.
Buckley revealed in a social media video that the defeat had deeply affected his family, particularly his grandmother, who urged him to retire and protect his long-term health.
“What up, y’all. I’m gonna just be quick with it: that fight right there, it was devastating, and it really affected my family, the people that’s closest to me,” Buckley said in the video.
“Listening to my grandmother speak, and listening to her pray for me over the phone, and really being upset, and her telling me to retire and really kind of get away from fighting, and really kind of get away from the sport because your mind is your biggest tool and your biggest asset, and you don’t want to lose it. It took a lot for me to listen and digest it, but I took some time, I slept on it, and I prayed about it, and I realized that my grandmother is right.
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“But, with that being said, I told her to just pray for me, and allow me to grace the octagon one more time, and to have the strength to step out there one more time, because I can’t leave on a loss. Plus, with my babies and everything of that nature, that’s the reason why I fight so hard. I give 110 percent for them every single time. So it’s going to be hard to literally not be able to give my fullest potential. And with me already having 18 fights within the organization within six years, I’m already knowing that I’m a workhorse. So, really, I’ve got to really save myself from any more mileage and any more damage.”
The 32-year-old took time to reflect on her advice before deciding that she was right. However, he asked for one final opportunity to compete inside the Octagon before bringing his career to an end.
“Y’all see my brother right here. He’s been training with me throughout this journey, and he’s been helping me get back in shape, and stay in shape, and do the things that’s necessary. But we’re gonna do it right this time. We’re not cutting no corners, we’re not taking no shortcuts, and we’re going to do the difficult things.
“But like I said, this the last one. But we’re gonna make our last one the best one.”
Buckley’s retirement announcement follows a difficult stretch in the welterweight division.
At UFC Edmonton on October 17, Malott caught Buckley with a knee to the chin at 2:32 of the second round, securing the knockout victory in front of his home crowd. The result marked Buckley’s third consecutive defeat, following decision losses to Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady.
The losing streak came after an impressive six-fight winning run at welterweight, during which Buckley defeated notable opponents, including Stephen Thompson and former UFC interim welterweight title challenger Colby Covington.
Buckley also became widely recognised for his spectacular spinning back-kick knockout of Impa Kasanganay in 2020, one of the most memorable finishes of his UFC career.
Buckley has not announced an opponent, date or event for his farewell fight. For now, his focus is on preparing properly for one final appearance and leaving the sport on his own terms.
Buckley now has one final opportunity to deliver the kind of performance that defined the best stretch of his career.
As he explained in his announcement, he intends to make his last fight his best one.
