Joaquin Buckley holds his head high.
On Saturday night, Buckley took on former welterweight champion Kamal Usman in the main event at UFC Atlanta, making an unanimous decision. It’s a tough setback for Buckley, who was in the cusp of the title shot, but despite the losses, “Newmantha” hasn’t dropped much in his performance.
“Look, Atlanta was good for us, baby,” Buckley said on Sunday in a video poster on his Instagram. “We sold out the arena. It was a huge opportunity to get out there and show up and show up. Especially in the fifth round, Usman backed up and tried to get those takedowns.
“Even so, I cried to Kamal Usman. You are truly a legend, you are a goat. Thank you for the opportunity to step into the Octagon with you and decorate me with your presence.
“We wanted to thank Atlanta, Atlanta, for being a sold out and truly an incredible crowd, and with that energy and that love, we really believe we can really show up and show up in another main event.
“That being said, I didn’t win, I didn’t raise my hand, but that’s all good.
“What we dealt with through that fight makes us feel like we’ve stood up to the world, but we feel like we did an amazing job… There was a lot of pressure we had that night, but I feel really privileged to be there and be able to worry about that boy.
“Even though I wasn’t raised last night, I am still victorious and will be one of the greats.
“This trip was amazing and I didn’t change what happened at the fight camp, everything was fully planned.
“But congratulations to Usman, his team and Francis Ngannou because he hasn’t twisted to hugging me more than hurting me in this fight, but he has done what he feels is necessary to win.
This loss was Buckley’s first since returning to the welterweight division in 2023. He won six straight wins before UFC Atlanta, but has returned to the now crowded welterweight title photo. Meanwhile, Usman has won his first victory since 2021, then lobbying for the winning shot of the planned Jack Della Maddalena vs Islamic Makhachev title fight.