Joaquin Buckley coming for UFC throne in 2025, willing to step into title fight if needed

TAMPA, Fla. – Joaquin Buckley kept things short, sweet, and to the point during his UFC on ESPN 63 post-fight news conference Saturday.

Following the most high-profile victory of his career, Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) only answered one question from reporters, but touched on a lot of topics in doing so.

“My first main event was a big success,” Buckley told MMA Junkie and others backstage at Amalie Arena. “I feel like the whole card was very successful, getting a lot of knockouts. I feel like my fights shouldn’t have been stopped. It is what it is. You’ve got to protect the fighters. I feel like 2025 is definitely my year and we definitely taking over. With this being said, this is on a six-fight winning streak. I’ve got eight knockouts within the UFC.

“I feel like I’ve done enough to really put myself in a position to, yet again, fight for that title. Even though I know Shavkat (Rakhmonov) is next, blessed to that fight, but if anything happens where Shavkat or Belal (Muhammad) doesn’t step up into the octagon, I want to face them. At the end of the day, we’re going to keep this nice and short, bro. I’m definitely looking to take that throne in 2025, bro. We out.”

Buckley, 30, defeated Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) by doctor’s stoppage in Round 3 due to a laceration. Covington’s right eyelid was badly sliced.

With the win, Buckley extended his streak to six. The victory concluded a perfect 4-0 year in 2024 for him. After the fight, Buckley polled the audience for his callout and gave them three choices: Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman, and welterweight champion Muhammad. The audience chose Usman.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.