- Joaquin Buckley was planning to knock Colby Covington out in the first round
- “New Mansa” mentioned three names and based his next target from the fans’ reaction
Joaquin Buckley said he would’ve loved to finish Colby Covington in the opening round and opted to make the fans decide who he should face next.
Buckley wanted a first-round KO for the fans
Speaking to Michael Bisping following his TKO win over “Chaos” at UFC Tampa, Buckley voiced his regret in not being able to secure a first-round knockout like what fans have come to see.
“Hey Tampa, I know that ain’t the fight that y’all really wanted. I know we spilled a little blood but I know y’all wanted to see a knockout man, so my bad y’all. I should have hurried up in the first round and got that for y’all, my bad,” Buckley said.
Fans want Usman vs. Buckley
When asked to name his next target, “New Mansa” came up with a unique gimmick. Buckley mentioned three welterweight fighters and based his decision from the fans’ chants. After naming Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad, Buckley realized that the fans’ chant was the loudest when he mentioned “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” name.
“The fans are gonna pick my opponent, alright. So I’m gonna give you three names, alright, the one that you all make the most noise for, that’s who I’m gonna pick for my next opponent. First name right here, Leon Edwards. Second name, Kamaru Usman!” Buckley shouted as the cheers got increasingly louder. And the last one, take the throne from Belal Muhammad, which one, let’s go?,” Buckley said.
“I think it’s Kamaru Usman baby, let’s go,” he concluded.
The win saw Buckley improving his winning streak to six in a row. He is certainly moving up the rankings but it’s yet to be known if he would break into the welterweight division’s Top 5.
On the other hand, Usman had just rejected a short-notice fight with Ian Garry. However, the former champ said he is not scared of anybody but he wants to ensure that his next opponent is worthy.
Watch Buckley’s full Octagon interview below:
