Joaquin Buckley wants a Fast Pass to the front of the 170-pound line.
The quickest way to leapfrog the rest of the welterweight contenders (see the Top 15 here) is to defeat former champion Kamaru Usman. And since “New Mansa” can’t knockout retired UFC legend Georges St-Pierre, “Nigerian Nightmare” will serve as a suitable Plan B.
“I’m 5-0 in the welterweight division right now,” Buckley told reporters after knocking out former welterweight title challenger, Stephen Thompson, on the UFC 307 main card. “Me putting on a tear, I feel like at the end of the day, Usman being a former champion will kind of prove and cement my name that I should fight for a title next. I think I can knock out Usman — immediately.”
Unfortunately for Buckley, it sounds like Usman is still “working on himself” — but don’t call him washed.
“Take a number and get in line,” Usman said on his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “I believe he’s probably, what, the 10th, 11th guy? I don’t know how many guys have called me out. It is what it is. It’s obviously, like [Daniel Cormier] said, it’s a more reasonable callout for him because he is on the streak. He’s been doing good work inside there. I believe he was losing that fight, and it was just a way to be relentless and find the shot eventually to get that finish. So, you know, hats off to him.”
Calling out Usman is all the rage these days.
“He did a great job,” Usman continued. “If that’s the fight, then that’s the fight. If it’s not, it’s not. Obviously, right now, I’m working on myself and trying to get myself back, because I’ve fought injured for so long to where I achieved all the things I’ve achieved, but at some point it does catch up to you. You have to sit down and correct some of those mistakes. But, like I said, I ain’t going nowhere. I’m still here, and eventually I will get in there and show the people that I am once again the king.”
Usman, 37, is coming off three straight losses and has not competed since falling to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 280 roughly one year back. If Buckley, 30, is in a hurry to get the “New Mansa” train back on the tracks, he may have to look elsewhere for his next opponent.
Perhaps there is something left for this longtime contender after all.