5 Defining Moments: Joaquin Buckley

Joaquin Buckley has once again begun to make headway in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division, but the jury remains out on his staying power.

The four-time “Performance of the Night” award winner will try his luck against ranked opposition when he confronts Nassourdine Imavov as part of UFC Fight Night 209 preliminary festivities on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. Buckley, 28, enters the cage with the wind of a three-fight winning streak at his back. He last appeared at UFC on ESPN 37, where the Bellator MMA veteran prompted a second-round doctor stoppage against former Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder Albert Duraev on June 18.

As Buckley approaches his pivotal clash with Imavov at 185 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. A Notch Below

Four-time NCAA All-American Logan Storley rode a rinse-and-repeat approach to a unanimous decision over Buckley in their three-round Bellator 197 showcase on April 13, 2018 at Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri. Scores were 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26. The outcome was never in doubt, as Buckley had no answer for the Sanford MMA standout’s skills. Storley struck for repeated takedowns, navigated the guard with ease and applied effective ground-and-pound, all while maintaining dominant positions. He advanced to mount in the first and second round, methodically breaking down Buckley across the 15-minute encounter. It remains the lone decision defeat of the St. Louis native’s career.

2. Slow Burn

Kevin Holland cut down Buckley with a chopping right hand in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 174 middleweight prelim on Aug. 8, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Unsuccessful in his Octagon debut, “New Mansa” bowed out 32 seconds into Round 3. Holland weathered a continuous stream of power punches, many of them to the body, and dragged the UFC rookie into deeper water. He floored Buckley in the first round, worked behind an effective jab in the second and clocked out in the third. There, Holland caught his counterpart leaning and uncorked a devastating right hand that put him on the canvas, sent his mouthpiece flying and prompted referee Mark Smith to intervene to prevent further damage.

3. Highlight for the Ages

Buckley ensured his permanent residence on future Ultimate Fighting Championship highlight reels when he knocked out Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Impa Kasanganay with a spinning back kick to the face as part of the UFC Fight Night 179 undercard on Oct. 10, 2020 at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A short-notice replacement for Abu Azaitar, Kasanganay hit the deck 2:03 into Round 2. The two men engaged in a firefight, until Buckley authored an all-time finish. Kasanganay blocked a head kick and caught the Bellator veteran’s foot. However, he held on for too long. Buckley immediately transitioned to a spinning back kick, his heel connecting to the face with concussive force. Kasanganay froze and collapsed backward. No follow-up shots were necessary.

4. Italian Ice

Gloria Fight Center export Alessio Di Chirico on Jan. 16, 2021 sprang a stunning upset when he brought down Buckley with a head kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their featured UFC on ABC 1 attraction at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The end came 2:12 into Round 1. Di Chirico fought tall and kept his muscular opponent at a safe distance. He slammed his shin into the side of the ducking Buckley’s head, trailed him to the canvas and cut loose with a quick burst of hammerfists to bring their confrontation to a shocking close.

5. True Grit

A surprisingly resourceful Buckley leaned on multiple takedowns and narrow advantages in the striking department, as he eked out a split decision over fellow knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan in their UFC Fight Night 201 middleweight feature on Feb. 19, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Sal D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo for Buckley, Anthony Maness for Alhassan. Few expected it to go the distance. Buckley did his best work in the middle stanza, where he backed the Fortis MMA product into the fence and unleashed punching combinations that largely went unanswered. Alhassan made his move in Round 3, as he capitalized on his counterpart’s exhaustion and piled up points in the standup. Nevertheless, Buckley showed his grit and wherewithal, holding on to a much-needed victory in the face of real adversity.