UFC fighter Joaquin Buckley [19-6-0] thrills hometown fans with an exciting unanimous decision win over rising UFC star Nursulton Ruziboev[34-9-2]MMA [2-1-0] in the welterweight division, co-main event. The UFC St Louis tournament held on 11th May 2024 at Enterprise Center.
Buckley put on quite a show for the audience, coming into the cage with an Uzbekistan flag. His opponent came in with a jumping knee strike, but Buckley countered with a takedown, planting Ruziboev to the floor. He soon got back on his feet and rocked Buckley with a huge shot, leading to a massive takedown with both opponents hammering away at each other and Ruziboev gaining the upper hand. Round two began with a takedown by Buckley, but he couldn’t keep his opponent planted for too long. Ruizboev soon got back up, maintained a distance, and kept swinging hard immediately, which missed the target. Buckley countered with a three-punch combination that dropped Ruziboev and followed with a flurry of shots and ground and pound, but his opponent stayed in the fight.
The two continued scrambling, with both opponents raining down punches and vicious shots. Buckley went in for a triangle, but Ruziboev managed a reversal. Another wild exchange and scramble saw Buckley regain a dominant position and unleash a barrage of blows and punches in an attempt to end the fight with a TKO, but Ruziboev remained in the fight until the final horn. The fight was a punch-packed match with equally deadly fighters who showcased their talents with savage takedowns and vicious ground pounding.
After his exhilarating win, Buckley was asked who he’d like to fight next, “Who do I want next? He’s got a fight already booked up. There’s only one name you should call out-that name is Conor McGregor. I want you. You are fighting a lightweight midget. 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, bro. Let’s see what you’re really about. I did my research on the McGregor name. And you come from a long, long line of McHoes.” In a bold move, he criticized McGregor and insulted his family history.
Although he made a controversial callout, UFC CEO Dana White quickly denied his request. “I’m definitely not going to get that, but why not take chances, right? Buckley said at the UFC post-fight press conference. ”I’ve been doing it until now, so why not make the biggest callout I can make?”
Buckley had a plan B in mind before calling out McGregor “Gilbert Burns, I think it’s a beautiful fight, a beautiful match-up. I don’t know when he’s going to be cleared or when he’s going to be ready, but Gilbert Burns, definitely.”
This win marks Buckley’s fourth consecutive triumph in the premier MMA organization. Before his UFC debut, his opponent Ruziboev had a ten-fight winning streak, and his current loss leaves his record at [2-1-0].
