UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley issued a statement following his second-round KO loss to Mike Malott at UFC Edmonton.
Buckley was knocked out with a vicious knee in the second round by Malott, which was his third straight loss in the UFC following decision defeats to Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady in his last two fights.
Joaquin Buckley Reacts to UFC Edmonton KO Loss
Speaking to reporters following UFC Edmonton, Buckley reacted to his brutal knockout loss against Malott.
“The fight didn’t go my way. Not at all. There’s a lot of expectations, man, for me to go out there and knock Malott out, but at the end of the day, people were entertained, people enjoyed the show,” Buckley said in a video statement posted to his Instagram stories.
“I truly believe that what I did, at the end of the day, it helped bring more eyes to the game. So regardless of what people say, no matter what’s going on, man, I’m just going to get back to work and just keep putting on for the name.
“I am Joaquin Buckley… I’m not going to stop. I’m going to keep moving forward. I ain’t going to be in the dark. I’m going to show you guys the team that I’m with, the team that I’m building, and the thing I want to do, because at the end of the day, man, I’m a fighter that fights.”
What’s Next for Joaquin Buckley?
There is no doubt this was a tough loss for Buckley, who has now dropped three straight fights inside the Octagon.
While he will still be ranked in the top-15 following UFC Edmonton, since Malott was also a ranked fighter, Buckley will probably have to fight down in the rankings for his next fight, or perhaps even take on someone who is unranked.
He does seem to be taking this loss to Malott in stride, which is good to see, but anytime you lose three fights in a row, it puts you in a difficult spot in your MMA career, which is where Buckley is at this very moment.
Joaquin Buckley Issues Statement Following UFC Edmonton Loss