Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweights Joaquin Buckley and Vicente Luqu battled earlier tonight (Sat. March 30, 2024) live on ESPN+ inside Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After a competitive first round, Buckley stopped his veteran opponent to pick up the best victory of his career!
The opening five minutes saw both men employ their game plan. Luque fired straight punches and looked to establish his kicking game. Buckley, meanwhile, danced around the cage and exploded forward with funky combinations. The numbers were fairly even, but Buckley’s power seemed to give him a slight edge.
In the second, Buckley seemed to be finding his range more and more, landing more cleanly on his power shots. Luque turned to the wrestling, but when met with Buckley’s sprawl, he opted to hang on and pull guard.
That proved to be a disastrous decision. Buckley followed him to the floor and immediately began to tee off. One of those shots must have really dazed Luque, because he pretty much just covered up as Buckley’s offense continued to build. Before long, the referee was circling, and Luque still wasn’t changing position.
Check out the highlight clip below:
BUCKLEY HAMMERS HIS WAY TO A BIG WIN #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/wt09AB2Wiz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 31, 2024
This is definitely the biggest win of Buckley’s career. Stopping Luque is still a big deal, and now Buckley advances into the rankings on a three-fight win streak. He hasn’t lost yet at Welterweight, so the question has to be asked: just how high is the 170-pound ceiling of “New Mansa?”
As for Luque, it’s a strange sign. He was fighting well in the first, but he seemed to fold after the failed takedown in the second. Perhaps one of those Buckley punches hurt him worse than he let on prior to the guard pull, but it was a surprising turn of events from one of the division’s most durable veterans.
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