UFC Atlantic City continues to deliver with some more finishes for the fans to talk about. With some impressive and some controversial finishes sprinkled throughout, it has made for a fun watch. Amidst all the action, Joaquin Buckley arguably delivered one of the biggest surprises of the night.
For those unaware, ‘New Mansa’ previously made his move down to welterweight after spending the majority of his career at 185. Although he has spoken about moving down to 170 in the past, it was only something he truly worked on since last year. Following back-to-back losses to Nassourdine Imavov and then Chris Curtis, Buckley decided that it was time for a change.
Co-main is coming your way! 💥@VicenteLuqueMMA vs @NewMansa94
[ NOW on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus | #UFCAtlanticCity ] pic.twitter.com/nDZWdYgVhV
— UFC (@ufc) March 31, 2024
As such, he made his way to welterweight taking on unranked opponents to start things off. Firstly, he beat Andre Fialho, and then Alex Morono. Thus, it was expected that Buckley would be facing a ranked opponent next. After Sean Brady fell out of his fight against Vicente Luque, Joaquin was happy to answer the call instead.
Joaquin Buckley finishes Vicente Luque at UFC Atlantic City
For the most part, Joaquin Buckley has been a must-watch TV for most of his career. Coming in with a kill-or-be-killed mentality, the fighter has either dished out heavy damage or been on the receiving end of it. Thus, putting him against a stone-cold killer like Vicente Luque was the move to make by the UFC. On the night, things started off on a much slower pace than what many expected.
Naturally, being the #11 ranked contender, Luque was also the favorite to win the fight. Despite a lot of swinging from Buckley, the commentary team failed to realize that many of his strikes were whiffs. As such, Luque managed to land the clearer shots by far, taking the round. Interestingly, there was also an unpunished fence grab from Buckley as Luque was trying to take him down.
HE’S ON THE WELTERWEIGHT RADAR 🚨@NewMansa94 gets the 2nd round KO at #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/G4Wodg7HFy
— UFC (@ufc) March 31, 2024
However, Round 2 turned out a lot different than what many anticipated with Buckley going strong midway through. Shockingly, Vicente backed down from the firefight and chose to shoot instead. After being denied the takedown, the Brazilian pulled guard only to be met with heavy shots by Joaquin Buckley from the top position. After numerous unanswered shots, the referee finally called the fight.
Was Joaquin Buckley partying hours before his fight against Vicente Luque?
A shocking outcome, to say the least, it was rather strange to see Joaquin Buckley emerge victorious against Vicente Luque in the fashion that he did. Whilst it is always possible for any fighter to win the fight, the manner in which Luque seemingly resigned to losing and accepted his fate was very uncharacteristic.
Hailed as a top welterweight with wins over top contenders and former champion Tyron Woodley, the fans had come to expect more from him. With that said Buckley will now make his way into the welterweight top 15 after arguably the biggest win of his career so far. Not only that, the fighter also posted a story of himself at a pool party just hours before UFC Atlantic City.
🔥NEW: Joaquin Buckley turning up poolside at the Harrah’s in Atlantic City before he goes to war with Vicente Luque tonight in the co main event for #UFCAtlanticCity. 👀🎉#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/DFUbJedIWH
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) March 30, 2024
A rather surprising thing, to say the least, the fighter was spotted at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, having the time of his life. Whilst the event saw many weird and controversial endings to fights, it is clear that Joaquin Buckley won his fight fair and square. Although there will be questions about Luque’s performance, credit where credit is due, Buckley was the better man on the night.