Joaquin Buckley punched his ticket to the welterweight top 10 earlier tonight (Sat., Oct. 5, 2024) at UFC 307 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, stopping two-time UFC title challenger Stephen Thompson with a vicious third-round knockout (punch).
“Wonderboy” came into this “Prelims” headliner the betting underdog, but he looked good early. Buckley did what most expected and shot in for an early takedown. Thompson defended nicely, though, getting back to his feet and allowing himself to pepper Buckley from distance. It seemed like Thompson won the first and the second was a close affair as well.
Buckley looked like the more damaged fighter entering the third. He continued to struggle when it came to distance control and finding his spacing so he rushed in with jumping power shots. Unfortunately for “Wonderboy,” one of those haymakers landed along the cage and absolutely destroyed Thompson. The elder welterweight toppled to the canvas as Buckley landed two insurance shots before the referee peeled him off.
Check out the video highlights below:
Classic @WonderboyMMA #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/GOl1iNyJEy
— UFC (@ufc) October 6, 2024
JOAQUIN BUCKLEY PUTS WONDERBOY OUT LATE IN THE THIRD #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/lj14hDQXCk
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) October 6, 2024
Buckley, 30, is now 5-0 since moving down to 170 pounds in 2023. This was a huge step up in competition for the former Bellator fighter, but Buckley proved his worth on a pretty big stage. Don’t be surprised if the promotion rides his hot hand and books Buckley his first-ever UFC main event next.
For complete UFC 307 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.