Up next in 10
Joaquin Buckley talks to us before his Colby Covington main event at #UFCTampa
Jan 20, 2025
Newmansa Joaquin Buckley is looking good and feeling good ahead of his Colby Covington surprise matchup! Joaquin graced us with his good vibes this Sunday after #UFC310, talked how he rated Shavkat Rakhmonov vs former opponent Ian Garry, how he's prepped for this new matchup and his plans for the near future. He teases a couple surprise moves up his sleeves too, who you got this weekend?! 01:44 Buckley sets the record straight 03:07 Breaking down Rakhmonov vs Gary 06:27 Self promotion 08:33 No one wants to talk $h*t 12:08 For the fans 15:11 Lights camera 🎬 18:13 Back to middleweight? Powered by Duelbits. Join us: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1FaPU4wQCG9RdbNlMBI-fA/join
View Video Transcript
0:02
how yall feel how y'all doing good good
0:05
how are you you already know mad [ __ ]
0:07
bro we blessed bro got my little first
0:09
main event we locked in yeah so I guess
0:13
we'll just start uh we're here uh Angela
0:16
Hill and Jessica Penny here with wem
0:18
Buckley fighting in his first main event
0:21
next week thank you so much for your
0:23
time uh yeah tell us how you're feeling
0:26
so we feeling good yet again I got a my
0:28
first main event I got my first show
0:30
that I feel like you know I can really
0:32
go out there man and give it my all uh I
0:34
feel like with this fight right here
0:36
this being my 15th fight I done really
0:38
kind of you know submitted my name you
0:40
know what I'm saying in order to get
0:41
this Main Event so it's really time to
0:43
show the crowd and show the fans exactly
0:45
what they you know going tune in and see
0:47
so getting this main event I feel like
0:49
it's really fueling me up right now to
0:51
give them a show that they they never
0:53
forget for sure I mean it it doesn't
0:55
take much to fuel you up you've been on
0:57
a tear recently uh fighting in your home
1:00
town getting Knockouts being on a big
1:02
streak so how did it feel when the
1:07
switch up happened with you and the Ian
1:09
Gary match up and now you're fighting
1:11
Kobe kovon but it's the main event so
1:14
how did all those emotions happen go
1:16
down with you when you find out I I want
1:18
to say I was not much as emotion but I
1:21
feel like you know when I seen it online
1:22
you know like the switch up was about to
1:24
happen because of Bal you know situation
1:26
with his foot you hear me him getting
1:27
that infection uh they need to find
1:30
somebody to to replace uh Bala in order
1:33
for shot you know what I mean to be able
1:34
to fight I saw a lot of rumors happen on
1:37
Instagram and [ __ ] like that on the feed
1:39
talking about you know Ian Gary just
1:40
might switch over Ian Gary making a post
1:42
like you know he down the fight and
1:44
whatnot you know I'm like hold up no we
1:45
didn't sign a contract with one another
1:47
like you slow down dog slow your rooll
1:49
uh but once the UFC hit me up and told
1:51
me they had another opportunity for me
1:52
you know I was all good you know what I
1:54
mean I feel like for real for real it's
1:55
a better opportunity to fight Kobe
1:57
coverton because yet again he didn't
1:58
fought for the belt a couple times uh he
2:00
was a interim champion at one point in
2:03
his career and like you know he got a
2:04
bigger name and a better ranking so
2:06
getting a win it it puts me in in a good
2:08
position so you know we ain't stressing
2:10
about nothing do you feel like you're
2:12
still um I guess in the running up like
2:15
this is a contender fight or do you
2:17
think you might have to get one more win
2:19
before I don't know y'all saw that fight
2:20
that happened last night
2:23
you though the two undefeated guys they
2:26
went to war or I would to say went to
2:27
war they they fought uh I feel like you
2:30
know it didn't they didn't give a a good
2:32
performance right they didn't put on the
2:34
type of performance that would lead to
2:36
give them a title now I believe that the
2:39
UFC is going to keep their word and you
2:41
know and allow shaat to fight for the
2:43
title uh but I just really believe like
2:45
if anything goes wrong you know what I'm
2:47
saying where somebody doesn't show up I
2:49
feel like you know I can replace it and
2:51
definitely be put myself uh in a
2:52
position where I can fight for a bill in
2:54
my next fight yeah so was there anything
2:56
surprising about that fight last night
2:58
for you I mean you having your eyes
3:00
closely focused on both of those
3:02
opponents you I G lie like you know it
3:05
was a couple things I felt like I
3:06
already knew it was going to be born I
3:08
feel like you know especially with the
3:09
anticipate no for real for real for real
3:11
you know uh I I just thought you know it
3:13
was a lot on the line for both of these
3:15
guys and I felt like you know with the
3:17
ability of shaa and uh him being such a
3:20
finisher he needs somebody to come and
3:23
and stick with him to try to fight uh
3:25
but I find it funny how shaa actually
3:27
tried to use more of his grappling than
3:29
his striking uh and as he tried to take
3:31
Ian Gary to the ground he had a lot of
3:33
trouble he he struggled with it for a
3:35
bit and uh with Ian Gary you know I was
3:38
expecting him to kind of use his pedal
3:40
and kind of slide out but he kind of
3:41
stood in front of you know shaat but
3:44
shaat actually didn't you know I'm
3:45
saying go for the kill and I feel like
3:48
with that being said you know it led to
3:49
that boring performance but I was
3:51
actually surprised more by Ian Gary than
3:53
I was sha yeah sha not not shaa Ian Gary
3:57
just stood right in front of him you
3:58
know like you know try used the long
4:00
guard a bit but did not use no footwork
4:02
in that fight
4:03
whatsoever why do you think that
4:05
happened do you have like a theory on I
4:08
I like I know why you know what I'm
4:09
saying no disrespect to Sho boxing but I
4:12
feel like whatever camp that Ian Gary
4:14
came from and now he switched over he
4:17
kind of changed the style and you seen
4:18
it with MVP right saw he was grappling
4:21
more you know going for takedowns and
4:24
putting himself in a situation where he
4:26
he was trying to be more of a Grappler
4:27
and I felt like it was the same
4:28
situation on the same same scenario and
4:30
you seen that he took a couple good uh
4:32
positions where he took sha cot back you
4:34
know I mean almost got the r neck choke
4:36
you know uh took sha cot down a couple
4:38
times uh but at the end of the day like
4:41
he's he's getting away from what he's
4:42
known you know and that's being that
4:44
counter fighter moving off the pedal as
4:46
you chasing him he comes down the pipe
4:48
you know what I mean and really throws
4:49
those punches but I feel like he might
4:51
be getting away from his actual natural
4:54
ability what was uh your approach going
4:57
to be can you uh drop that on us now
4:59
that you don't I mean I mean you know
5:01
even though uh he lost I know that fight
5:03
is still going to be out there um but I
5:05
feel I feel like in this particular
5:08
moment if Ian Gary would have fought me
5:10
the same way that he fought last night I
5:11
would have knocked him out that night
5:13
period oh
5:15
okay so you talk about you know this was
5:18
a boring fight that we just saw and you
5:21
I mean what y'all thought hold on now y
5:23
ask me
5:24
all well you're on our show we get to
5:26
ask you all the questions invite us on
5:28
your show and you can ask us stuff hey
5:31
there you go let's get it brick Brothers
5:33
podcast hop on it yeah next time let's
5:35
get it yeah so you mentioned that it was
5:38
a boring fight um I thought it was a
5:40
very a Strate a strategic fight it was
5:43
um a closer fight than than I thought it
5:45
was going to be but I did think shav cut
5:48
was going to get the win so you being an
5:50
exciting fighter and somebody who is
5:53
also exciting outside of the cage like
5:55
um how do you do you think that is the
5:58
reason that you've kind of Skyrock
5:59
rocket into this Main Event because some
6:01
people don't get that opportunity and
6:02
there's a lot of people in different
6:04
divisions that have that complaint that
6:06
they don't get that that opportunity
6:08
right right and be honest with you I
6:11
feel like I still haven't done much
6:12
right but the little things that I have
6:14
done to promote myself have gotten me
6:17
very far so I feel like yet again like
6:19
it's still levels to this that I feel
6:21
like I haven't even touched to but with
6:23
those other people saying you know they
6:24
haven't gotten a shot like you got to
6:26
make your opportunities that's literally
6:28
why I got this you know take the throne
6:30
and I got to take the throne mentality
6:31
like no opportunity is given to me we
6:34
make the opportunities and then we go
6:35
out there and take it again you know so
6:37
with that being said it's just like this
6:38
Main Event just didn't come up out of
6:40
nowhere and they was like oh yeah let's
6:41
just give Buck this like no like I made
6:44
this happen for myself you know and when
6:46
you go out there and you uh go for great
6:49
things and you try to achieve great
6:51
things great things happen to you nice I
6:54
love that I love that do you uh know
6:56
anything about Covington's camp like has
6:58
he been training for something else and
7:00
then this popped up is he jumping in
7:02
last minute like do you
7:04
know that's a question for Kobe to be
7:06
honest with I see him all on you know on
7:08
the twitch you know you all outside with
7:10
the influences uh catching pedophiles
7:12
and all this other [ __ ] you
7:14
know right so uh I don't know you know
7:18
uh whatever he's doing you know and and
7:20
however he's preparing for his fight
7:21
he's feeling like he's doing whatever he
7:22
needs to do to in order to step in that
7:24
cage so whatever makes him comfortable
7:26
taking this fight with me and and
7:28
stepping into that cage to 7 before 14
7:30
keep doing what you're doing bro so how
7:31
do you prepare for what doesn't happen
7:34
inside the cage like fight week there's
7:36
going to be a pre-fight presser like how
7:38
do you prepare yourself for that aspect
7:41
of the fight I mean I feel like you
7:43
know regardless of how Kobe is right and
7:46
his personality and when he talk trash
7:48
like y'all know how it is like when we
7:50
grew up in school and stuff like that
7:51
people be digging on the bus especially
7:53
you angel you know what I mean like we
7:55
be on the bus we be going back and forth
7:57
like joning and crack I feel like it's
7:59
noise to me you know it's like when you
8:02
prepare for these type of things it's
8:03
just like if if we going to talk let's
8:06
talk but I like to talk the truth you
8:07
know what I mean and I like to be real
8:09
so my thing is if he wants to talk any
8:11
any nonsense I got some I got some good
8:14
heat for him you know what I'm saying
8:15
when it comes to that press conference
8:16
so we got some stuff lined up for him
8:18
yeah I get so mad that no one wants to
8:21
talk [ __ ] like yeah you got because at
8:25
the end of the day you gotta live up to
8:26
it right yeah yeah that's the hard part
8:29
y also you don't want to lose the the
8:31
[ __ ] talk battle before the fight too
8:33
because that
8:36
mess I get to whoop your ass yeah true
8:40
true well I like how you um how you were
8:43
talking about um uh Gary switching camps
8:48
and I was wondering where are you
8:50
training right now where did you train
8:52
for this fight I know you bounced around
8:54
a little bit but I'm wondering where
8:55
your uh core was for this Camp uh the
8:58
core was uh right here in St
9:00
Louis uh with St Charles MMA so I
9:04
trained with them since I was back home
9:06
we trying to get something opened up you
9:07
know right after this fight and I'm
9:09
trying to have my own facility uh pretty
9:11
soon I think it's around that time that
9:12
I need my own uh spot but right now
9:15
we've been uh messing with Mike Rogers
9:17
uh Jeff Henry I've been working with my
9:19
guy Valkyrie Fitness uh Travis Brown
9:21
been working with my man uh Reggie who's
9:23
my boxing coach atcl boxing Academy and
9:26
also my guy that I do my podcast with uh
9:28
brick Brothers uh podcast with Sol
9:30
foundation so we plan on opening up
9:32
something real soon but St Charles and M
9:33
May that's where we was at yeah nice
9:36
how' you come to that decision to open
9:38
up your own gy uh I I mean because I
9:40
feel like for me I I make a lot of my
9:43
own decisions you know um I feel like I
9:46
need a facility where I can go train at
9:48
any given time and bring in the people
9:49
that's necessary you know uh I feel like
9:52
I managed my career very well on my own
9:54
and I I kind of build a team I don't
9:56
join the team I build a team you know
9:58
and I put WR uh people around me you
10:01
know what I'm saying that specified in
10:02
certain uh Specialties whether that's
10:04
you know nutrition whether that's
10:05
wrestling whether that's boxing whether
10:06
that's J jitu overall MMA it doesn't
10:08
matter I try to find the best guys and
10:10
especially when it come to sparring you
10:12
know bringing in the right guys as well
10:14
you know if I got to fly them out at
10:15
least I can take care of you know I mean
10:17
then I have my own gym that you know
10:18
really they get comfortable and uh uh we
10:21
really get that work in nice do you do
10:25
you feel like um cuz you you said you
10:28
haven't done that much yet but I feel
10:29
like you've done a lot you're on every
10:31
highlight re when the UFC fights start
10:34
you know you see the big kick and
10:36
everything like you you've made your
10:38
mark in the sport and in your weight
10:40
class do you feel like the the fans see
10:43
that as well or do you still think you
10:45
have a lot to prove uh no when it comes
10:47
to fighting they they know what they
10:49
getting right like I said this be my
10:51
15th fight you know within four years uh
10:53
in the UFC and I really feel like you
10:55
know the type of time and the resume
10:57
that I've been able to grow like the
10:59
fans know exactly what to expect when
11:01
they watch my fights I feel like I need
11:02
to grow outside of the cage I think
11:04
that's the most important thing and yet
11:06
again that's the small little part that
11:08
I'm talking about I feel like I can grow
11:09
so much bigger outside of the UFC
11:12
instead of just keeping myself or
11:13
keeping my personality uh just just
11:16
confined in the cage it's time to show
11:17
my personality outside this thing and
11:19
really blow up yeah and what does that
11:22
look like to you like what are your
11:23
dreams and aspirations outside uh dream
11:26
I mean I don't know about you know I'm
11:28
living my dream right now you know what
11:29
I'm saying I'm really doing my thing but
11:31
it's just like doing little things like
11:32
you know doing the mean Greeks right you
11:34
know I had a little situation happen you
11:36
know at David bu whatever word yeah what
11:38
happened right right I
11:40
me unfortunately you know uh uh lady
11:43
just you know made a mistake you know
11:45
and uh they Wen able to offer or or give
11:48
us what we needed at that time so we
11:49
just had to pack up and leave um so you
11:52
know but not trying to get it all up
11:54
into that situation but I want to be
11:55
able to engage with the fans before my
11:57
fights you know I want to do something
11:58
that a lot of Fighters don't aren't
12:00
comfortable with doing at the time
12:02
because they got a big moment coming up
12:04
you know and I feel like for me whatever
12:06
is the best way to promote and and feel
12:08
good energy from the fans because like
12:10
you know when when you pay for a ticket
12:11
and and you see somebody like you you
12:13
would want to be able to be just
12:15
surrounded by them you know and I give
12:17
uh the fans the opportunity to do that
12:19
because yet again they paying their hard
12:20
earned money I just want to be able to
12:22
uh show them my appreciation for even
12:24
popping out and and and really showing
12:26
love how they should so I think that's
12:28
my one way giving back you know to the
12:30
fans but I feel like that's something
12:32
that can really grow my brand even
12:33
stronger cuz no other fighter is doing
12:35
that thanks speaking of uh growing
12:38
outside of the cage I saw you had a
12:40
little one-on-one with DC before your
12:42
last fight do you feel like you guys
12:45
like squash the beef or is just still a
12:47
little bit Brewing like I said well for
12:49
me ain't no beef for real right like
12:52
it's not real beef but I find it funny
12:55
that like you know a lot of people that
12:57
clown with him and joke with him you
12:58
know that's what it is but then with me
13:01
like it is a real situation but for me
13:03
on my end ain't no beef like I said you
13:05
know I always want to work with the
13:06
double champ always want to you know
13:07
saying Spa around but my man [ __ ] he a
13:10
super heavyweight now you know what I'm
13:11
saying so I might have to be careful I a
13:13
trying to throw my back out but ain't no
13:14
be3 you know what I'm saying I got
13:16
nothing but respect for DC at the end of
13:17
the day you already know I don't know he
13:19
might be worried after seeing you
13:21
wrestling in the Wonder Boy fight you
13:22
were on playing I appreciate you and
13:25
that's what people don't realize like
13:26
I'm a mix martial artist my my start
13:30
into martial arts was wrestling you know
13:32
like that was my first discipline you
13:34
know um and I feel like for myself it's
13:36
just there's a lot of things and a lot
13:38
of tools that I still haven't shown that
13:40
I feel like are really going to surprise
13:41
a lot of people you know uh and
13:43
especially in this fight with Kobe coven
13:45
you know a lot of people feel like his
13:47
only chance is to wrestle me but to be
13:48
honest with you he gonna have a hard
13:49
time doing that you know especially with
13:51
the guys that I've trained with down in
13:53
Michigan with Nick Simmons with Andy
13:55
Simmons you know and them really showing
13:56
me some good work uh down there and and
13:58
really showing me good basic techniques
14:00
that you know uh they cleaned up for me
14:03
I I feel like Kobe going to have a hard
14:05
time dealing with me definitely in the
14:07
wrestling you mention might hey y' might
14:09
see me take him down on God I mean hey I
14:12
believe
14:13
it you did the problems you gave to
14:16
Wonderboy the problems that you gave to
14:17
luk a like you're you're just doing
14:19
something really special that other
14:20
people have a really hard time with so
14:22
it's very impressive and that's why you
14:24
know people get behind you that's why
14:25
people tune in to see you exactly
14:28
exactly all I'm in there doing trying to
14:30
fight bro that's it I'm in there trying
14:32
to bang you know and a lot of guys they
14:34
don't they don't come with that type of
14:35
energy sometimes you know and and
14:38
obviously it's a sport it's a
14:40
competition you got to try to win but
14:41
you got to be entertaining too at the
14:43
same time so that's exactly what we plan
14:45
on doing being Entertainer and winning
14:48
at the same time so you mentioned that
14:51
you started with wrestling I I didn't
14:53
know that um how exactly did you like
14:55
find your way what was your path into
14:57
MMA uh the
15:00
movies always want to be a martial arts
15:02
uh actor want to be Michael J white you
15:05
know what I'm saying
15:06
Jackie uh but you know I always been um
15:11
intrigued by the martial arts so I'm a
15:13
big student I'm a big fan of all
15:15
different disciplines from Taekwondo
15:17
from karate from Judo um obviously you
15:21
know you got pox a lot out there you
15:23
know you got L fighting in sagol it's
15:26
just like I've always been such a um
15:29
incredible you know I mean just uh a fan
15:31
of all different traditional arts and I
15:34
feel like for me me being in mixed
15:36
martial arts you know you can take from
15:37
all different disciplines and kind of
15:39
make your own kind of um fingerprint
15:41
right cuz I feel like unfortunately
15:43
there's a lot of people that's say MMA
15:45
and they all fight the same you know
15:47
this is the only real where we can do
15:48
whatever we want to right you can always
15:50
use your creativity to kind of you know
15:53
shine through in the cage cuz there so
15:55
much [ __ ] that we still have not seen in
15:57
the Octagon that can still be displayed
16:00
and uh I really feel like my love for
16:01
martial arts from the very beginning has
16:03
led me to be the fighter that I am today
16:06
what exactly would be like your dream
16:08
technique or dream scenario in a fight
16:10
that you don't see anybody else doing
16:12
except for uh sh I think I already did
16:14
that [ __ ] I know
16:18
right number two exactly number two um I
16:23
can't say it because I might want to try
16:24
to use it you know like like you know so
16:28
I I I got a special little move that I
16:30
always try uh in training that I feel
16:32
like in this fight I can definitely pull
16:33
off so you know yeah you got tell us
16:37
after we finished I got you I got you I
16:39
I got send us a
16:42
tutorial where do you where do you think
16:45
um like when it comes to like final form
16:48
Buckley what do you think that style
16:51
looks like there is no final for you
16:53
know and that's the one thing you know I
16:55
will have to give myself I'm always
16:57
trying to learn there's always room to
16:59
grow there's always uh room to improve
17:02
you know there is no perfect fighter you
17:04
know like any type of thing that I feel
17:07
like um I might have holes in you know I
17:10
try to fill them in before somebody else
17:11
does it for me in the cage right so I
17:14
always look to try to put myself in
17:16
uncomfortable position where I'm always
17:18
learning and feeling like okay I don't
17:21
like this position but I'm going get
17:22
comfortable here right and I'm going to
17:24
make sure I can learn how to get out of
17:25
it or I can learn how to put myself in a
17:27
position where I can uh not just work
17:30
out of it but U find a submission from
17:32
it right or find different places where
17:35
I can punch and kick and find different
17:37
Avenues where I can move and still be a
17:39
dynamic fighter it's just like I always
17:41
want to put myself in in in stressful
17:43
situations because that's a you know
17:45
this a stressful sport so you got to get
17:47
used to being able to think on the fly
17:49
but if you never been in that situation
17:51
or you never trained that before
17:53
sometimes it doesn't click so I try to
17:55
put myself in so many different
17:56
scenarios so many different positions
17:58
that I can try to learn from nice do you
18:01
think you'll ever go back to
18:02
middleweight or you think that's like
18:05
you're you're comfortable in your weight
18:06
class now no no if I get a easy lick
18:09
somebody with the belt yeah I'm moving
18:11
I'm G pull a George St Pierre real quick
18:13
you know yeah so and I I feel like for
18:16
me yet again I gotta do my job at 170
18:19
clear out that Division and then if I
18:21
get an opportunity to move up to 185 yet
18:23
again for for something nice I'm gonna
18:25
move up to 195 [ __ ] 205 what
18:30
yeah no serious I was just curious
18:33
because um uh if you watch Al Jo's fight
18:36
it was one of those where you can still
18:38
see that the skill levels were similar
18:42
um if anything maybe he had better skill
18:44
in the fight but he looked under size
18:47
and I was wondering if that like was
18:49
ever an issue for you at 85 I mean that
18:52
was definitely an issue for me at 185
18:54
that was definitely issue for me at 185
18:56
but I feel like IID do it right next
18:58
time
18:59
I was I wasn't the appropriate size for
19:02
185 when I first started there I was 190
19:04
I was only walking around 190 at the
19:06
time uh and then cutting just five
19:08
pounds and then walking into the cage
19:10
you know what I mean getting back up to
19:11
190 get just her five pounds you know uh
19:15
but a lot of these other guys when they
19:17
cut to 185 they going back up to 200 or
19:20
215 you know so they really do have a
19:22
great size Advantage um so I just I I
19:25
feel like I just didn't do it right so
19:26
now that I'm at 170 I know that my body
19:28
still going to naturally grow and as I
19:31
get older it's going to be kind of
19:32
harder to cut that weight to in the
19:34
future so I know that now that I'm
19:35
walking around 200 I'm going be more fit
19:38
as a middleweight and then yet again
19:40
still trying to build muscle and and
19:42
build size I'd be a good like
19:44
heavyweight too in the future dang so
19:47
okay so you're a little bigger now then
19:49
oh yeah a lot bigger
19:51
yeah old man wait on you that's good
19:54
good to know for the 205 part at least
19:57
exactly yeah
20:01
thanks good yeah I think we're good man
20:05
like uh if you had anything to because
20:08
you're a great salesman you've been
20:10
selling the hell out of the the Ian Gary
20:14
fight I'm mad that that fight didn't go
20:16
down because of all the promos yeah all
20:18
that promo just just go to waste it was
20:21
good but uh we got we ain't got Buck
20:24
versus cuck but now we got something new
20:26
on the menu we got Buck versus duck you
20:28
know so I really feel like this is the
20:30
next fight you know that that's really
20:32
going to uh put my name out there and
20:34
it's really going to show everybody you
20:35
know why I should get that belt and we
20:37
definitely Tak them to throne baby 2025
20:39
let's get it all right well you answer
20:42
my question thank you man thanks so much
20:44
for your time all right y I appreciate
20:46
y'all for getting me on the show and I
20:48
got gotta show that same love back to us
20:50
all right yeah for
20:53
sure yeah bring us on I can't wait I
20:56
didn't know you had a podcast so I'm
20:57
excited about watching it so if you guys
20:59
want to check out the podcast definitely
21:01
go check it out on YouTube on brick
21:02
Brothers podcast and if you can't find
21:04
it there go to Walken Buckley official
21:06
page y'all find it there too all right
21:09
all right thanks so much man get that
21:10
knock out we're rooting for you can't
21:12
wait to see it all right appreciate y
21:14
let's get it you already know good money
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