Midnight Mania: Buckley Lands UFC St. Louis Co-Main Vs. Ruziboev

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

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The upcoming UFC St. Louis fight card just received a major bo…


UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield v Fiorot
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The upcoming UFC St. Louis fight card just received a major boost.

Ranked Welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley hails from “Mound City,” and he’s been telling anyone who will listen that he wants a part of the UFC St. Louis card, which is scheduled for Sat. May 11, 2024. Specifically, he was requesting a main event opportunity, but instead UFC CEO Dana White announced he’ll get a co-main slot against Nursulton Ruziboev.

It’s a bit of a funny match up, one that’s only happening because Buckley crashed the UFC 300 press conference just a couple weeks ago to demand his St. Louis opportunity. The monkey paw curled!

On one hand, Buckley gets to fight in his hometown like he wanted. At the same time, Buckley is riding a solid win streak and coming off the best win of his career over Vicente Luque (watch here), and his reward is a dangerous, relatively unknown finisher who stands NINE inches taller than him! Buckley dropped down to Welterweight because the height and reach advantages of his opposition were too severe … and now he’s going to fight a 6’5” longtime Middleweight riding a 10-fight finish streak.

Is it a little bit of revenge from the UFC CEO? Really, that depends on the outcome. If Buckley is victorious, he continues his march up the ladder, adds to the highlight reel, and earns an extra paycheck in front of his fans. If he loses, his Welterweight momentum goes up in smoke.

As for Ruziboev, he’s 2-0 in the Octagon thus far, scoring two quick knockout wins. He’s earned a step up in competition, but it’s interesting that he’ll drop to Welterweight for the opportunity. He hasn’t fought at 170-pounds since January 2021 and seems big for Middleweight, so weigh-in day will be interesting as well.

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.