Joaquin Buckley claimed the win by knockout against Stephen Thompson at UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr on October 5. The welterweight bout headlined the prelims live from Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
After taking a right high kick from Thompson on his guard, Buckley pressured his opponent to the fence and threw a big right hand, dropping the latter to the canvas. Moments prior to referee Mike Beltran jumped in to stop the fight, he followed it up with a pair of punches. The official time was 2 minutes and 17 seconds into the third round.
With the victory by KO, Joaquin Buckley improved to 20-6. The 30-year-old native of St. Louis, Missouri earned his fifth win in a row. In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, the No. 11-ranked contender called out former champion Kamaru Usman (20-4) of Nigeria.
“We are just blocking out all the noise, all the distractions. We are going to work,” Buckley said. “We are coming for that throne. Let’s get it.”
“I feel like I need to fight one more before I fight for the belt… [Kamaru] Usman, get your a** out here in the Octagon. Everybody wants to see that fight, let’s go. I’m going to put my 5 and 0 record up against your three and 0 losses and let’s get it. Let’s see who’s going to win.”
No. 9 Stephen Thompson dropped to 17-8-1. The 41-year-old native of Simpsonville, South Carolina suffered his second straight defeat.