A new wave of contenders is rising in the UFC welterweight division, and Joaquin Buckley is one of the prominent figures of this generation.
Over the past year, significant changes have occurred in the 170 lbs division: veterans like Leon Edwards, Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns, and Stephen Thompson lost their recent fights to young prospects.
Buckley, ranked #7 among UFC welterweights, quickly climbed the ranks with knockout wins over Covington and Thompson. These victories earned him a spot in the main event of UFC Atlanta on Saturday, where he will face former champion and pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman.
Buckley is confident he will leave Atlanta as a title contender, aiming for the championship belt held by Jack Della Maddalena.
The current champion Della Maddalena is likely to have his next title defense against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. However, even if Makhachev wins, Buckley doubts he will stay in the welterweight division and believes he will retire.
Believing himself to be on a higher level than Usman and most other welterweights, Buckley was asked who he considers the best fighter in the world. And it`s definitely not Della Maddalena.
Buckley Ranks Ian Machado Garry as #1 Welterweight
In his personal rankings, Buckley placed his potential rival Ian Machado Garry above all other fighters of the new generation in the welterweight division (besides himself).
“To be honest with you, I`m gonna put Ian Garry as number one,” Buckley said about the #6 ranked contender in an interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri.
“He`s a smart fighter. Stylistically, I will have to chase him down at all times, which makes him dangerous,” Buckley added about Machado Garry.
Machado Garry`s professional record is 16 wins and 1 loss, with a 9-1 record in the UFC. The Irishman has defeated fighters like Carlos Prates, Geoff Neal, Michael ‘Venom’ Page, and others. Machado Garry`s only loss came to the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0) on short notice last year at UFC 310.
“Shavkat, I`ll put second.
“JDM (Della Maddalena), I`ll put third,” Buckley said of the champion.
“I`ll put Sean Brady as the last one. That`s my truest assessment.”
Buckley Says Sean Brady Would Be His `Easiest Fight`
Sean Brady, with a record of 18 wins and 1 loss, is currently ranked #2 in the UFC welterweight division after defeating former champion Leon Edwards by submission in March.
Buckley explained why Brady was so low in his rankings.
“I mean, come on now. You got knocked out by pillow hands,” Buckley referenced Brady`s standing technical knockout loss to Belal Muhammad in 2022.
“I gotta put you in the #4 slot, dog…”
“I truly believe that, even with Brady being a good grappler and a good fighter, it`s just styles make fights.
“If I fight Sean Brady, it will be my easiest fight. I promise you.”
Incidentally, Sean Brady predicted Joaquin Buckley would defeat Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Atlanta this weekend.
