Joaquin Buckley Fires Shots at UFC Welterweight Champion and Top Contenders: “You got Islam out there playing Wrestleball”
Joaquin Buckley went off on everyone in the UFC welterweight division for not fighting often.
Buckley believes the top 170-pounders are wasting time, even though the division is stacked and there are many exciting matchups.
New Mansa,’ on the other hand, last fought Kamaru Usman in June 2025 and lost by unanimous decision.
Buckley is itching to get back inside the octagon and had previously launched fiery digs at Shavkat Rakhmonov while calling out the Kazakh fighter. ‘Nomad’ has been sidelined due to an injury after his UFC 310 bout with Ian Machado Garry. He was ready to return in 2026, but as per reports, he injured the same knee again and had to go under the knife recently. He’s expected to be out of action for several more months and hence was removed from the official rankings.
Other than Rakhmonov, welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, who was crowned last year at UFC 322, will return to make his first title defense after Ramadan 2026.
No. 2-ranked contender Ian Machado Garry last competed at UFC Qatar, and Carlos Prates and Michael Morales last fought at UFC 322. All of these fighters are coming off wins in their most recent bouts and are eager for a title shot. However, only one can step up at a time.
Joaquin Buckley goes off on the UFC welterweight division for being inactive
Recently, Joaquin Buckley voiced his frustration with his fellow welterweights for not competing often. He revealed that he has no news about his upcoming fight but wants to lock horns with Jack Della Maddalena before adding:
“Right now, the division is on a standstill. This is crazy. Look, the matchmakers know their job. They know better than me. Right now, they got the hottest division and ain’t nobody fighting.”
Joaquin Buckley added:
“You got Islam [Makhachev] out there playing Wrestleball. You got [Carlos] Prates out there partying and clubbing. You got [Michael] Morales out there twerking and twirling. You got ‘JDM’ still at the house, crying. You got Leon [Edwards] missing, again. You got Belal [Muhammad] trying to sell warm meals. You got Ian Machado Garry watching in the corner. Boy, I don’t know what’s going on… And Shavkat [Rakhmonov] is gone.”
Check out Joaquin Buckley’s comments below:
Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates Separately Tease New Fight News Coming Soon
A few hours before, Ian Machado Garry announced on Instagram that he is “In Camp” for his next bout.
Carlos Partes, on the other hand, posted a training clip and hinted that news about his next fight could land next week.
“New week, but the goal is the same. Great things are on the way! ☎️ 👀”
