Joaquin Buckley’s U-Turn: Reconsiders Conor McGregor Callout After Fiery ‘Take the Throne’ Declaration
Top UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley was on fire in the octagon on Saturday night as he dominated Nursulton Ruziboev in his home town of St Louis.
But he may have gone too far in his post-fight interview when he called out Conor McGregor, demanding a fight with the Irishman in an effort to “take the throne”. Within minutes of the win he was backtracking on his aggressive shout, and had named another opponent for his next outing.
Buckley is a major fan favourite for his explosive fight style, and impressed again as he dropped Ruziboev on route to a fourth straight win. And he is now looking to climb up the ranks at welterweight where he is currently number 11.
Joaquin Buckley calls for Conor McGregor fight after UFC St Louis win
With McGregor seemingly returning as a full-time bonafide welterweight in pursuit of a third world title, Buckley believes that he should be facing a legitimate 170lb fighter. The Irishman is facing Michael Chandler at UFC 303 next month, although his rival hasn’t fought heavier than lightweight in years.
And he made that clear on the microphone with a pointed message to the legendary two-weight champion. “He got a fight already but it’s a massive name and only one name you should call out if you’re on this mic, a powerful name,” Buckley began. “That name is… Conor McGregor.
“I want you, you’re fighting at 170lb but you ain’t fighting a welterweight, you’re fighting a lightweight midget. Come at me bro, come at me, you said you built your weight up but you’re bullying Sean O’Malley and Ryan Garcia, come and bully me dog.”
Joaquin Buckley immediately backtracks on Conor McGregor callout as he pushes for Gilbert Burns fight
However, within minutes of his explosive interview, Buckley switched up and admitted that there was next to no chance of him getting such a fight. Speaking with media at the post-fight press conference, he instead pushed for a fight with number six-ranked Gilbert Burns.
“I’m definitely not going to get that, but why not take chances, right?” He said of McGregor. “I’ve been doing it up until this moment, so why not make the biggest callout that I can make? If Michael Chandler doesn’t show up for the fight, ‘New Mansa’ will be ready.
“Gilbert Burns, I think it’s a beautiful fight, a beautiful matchup. I don’t know when he’s going to be cleared or when he’s going to be ready, but Gilbert Burns, definitely.”
Dana White shuts down Joaquin Buckley’s Conor McGregor callout
In case there was any confusion about Buckley’s standing with regards a fight against McGregor, UFC boss Dana White shut down the idea completely at the post-fight press conference.
He immediately told media how impressed he was with Buckley’s performance, but replied “nuh uh” to his suggestion of facing McGregor.
“Joaquin Buckley asked for this fight. He fought a guy that was smashing people in the first round, and he went out there and took the fight to him,” White said. “It was an incredible performance, and in his hometown.
“In my experience, and it’s funny because you get some guys say, ‘It’s my dream to fight in my hometown,’ but most people don’t want to fight in their hometown. There’s a lot of pressure and everybody is hitting you up for tickets.
“It’s a different vibe when you fight in your hometown. Buckley called for this, came out, and he delivered. That guy is going to be a rock star here now. People who didn’t know who he was yesterday, definitely know who he is now.”
