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UFC News: Joaquin Buckley Branded "Delusional" after Calling Out Unbeaten Star

The outspoken welterweight received a cold response to his latest callout.
Drew Beaupre|
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Joaquin Buckley is still hunting for his next fight in the UFC, but the welterweight’s latest callout has been met with a dismissive response.

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“New Mansa” is now the UFC’s #11-ranked welterweight contender following his win over Nursulton Ruziboev in St. Louis, but the majority of the headlines generated from that bout were focused on Buckley’s surprising callout of Conor McGregor during his post-fight interview.

Criticism from such figures as UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has done little to halt Buckley’s recent trash talk, and after fellow top welterweight Jack Della Maddalena revealed he’s going to be on the shelf for an extended period Buckley took the opportunity to call out unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Coming off a stoppage-win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 299, Della Maddalena is ranked at #5 in the UFC welterweight division and called for a matchup with the #3-ranked Rakhmonov following his latest victory.

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Buckley’s callout is somewhat confusing considering he nixed the idea of fighting at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia in favor of a Tampa event that isn’t actually scheduled, but Rakhmonov did take the time to respond to the callout and criticize “New Mansa” for his choice in potential opponents.

Unbeaten in his 18-fight pro career, Rakhmonov joined the UFC in 2020 and has preserved his 100% finishing rate across six fights in the promotion and most recently submitted former welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 296.

Rakhmonov doesn’t seem interested in fighting down the rankings against Buckley, but with another huge welterweight bout between Michael “Venom” Page and Ian Machado Garry on the horizon for UFC 303 the 29-year-old is likely eager to get back into action so he can put himself in line for a title shot after Belal Muhammad challenges Leon Edwards for the welterweight strap at UFC 304.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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