Joaquin Buckley is still flying high after his knockout of the year at contender at UFC Fight Island 5 this past weekend. The middleweight prospect will need to get his feet back on the ground quicker than expected after being booked to face undefeated knockout artist Jordan Wright at UFC 255 on November 21.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN broke news of the fight on social media, he wrote.
“Breaking: Mr. Viral Ko is back. Joaquin Buckley will face undefeated Jordan Wright at UFC 255 on Nov. 21, per sources. Buckley, of course, fresh off one of the most spectacular KO’s in MMA history. And Wright … 11 wins … 11 finishes … 10 in the first round.”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you will have already seen Buckley scored one of the greatest MMA knockouts of all time against Impa Kasanganay on the UFC Fight Island 5 undercard.
Buckley was making just his second appearance for the UFC after previously suffering a third-round stoppage defeat to Kevin Holland in his debut. An underdog in this fight against the previously unbeaten Kasanganay – he started well. In the second-round things managed to get astronomically better. Buckley threw a high kick that was caught by his opponent. He then used that as momentum to throw and land the most perfect spinning back kick you’ll ever see – check it out here.
Since the fight, Buckley has been showered with praise, gone viral, picked up a $50,000 bonus, and even inspired Kanye West to create new music. It’s now time to get back in the gym after less than a week of celebrating, he’s been booked to face another highly touted prospect in Jordan Wright.
‘The Beverly Hills Ninja’ impressed during his UFC debut earlier this summer forcing the stoppage against Ike Villanueva back in August. Prior to that he is technically unbeaten as a professional but was spectacularly knocked out when he faced Anthony Hernandez on DWCS in 2018, only for the result to be overturned due to Hernandez testing positive for marijuana post fight.
Who do you think wins at UFC 255? Joaquin Buckley or Jordan Wright?