At UFC 310, MMA fans around the world watched Shavkat Rakhmonov secure himself as the next title challenger to welterweight champion Belal Muhammad… Or did he?
While the undefeated Kazakh edged past Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision, Joaquin 'New Mansa' Buckley believes the door remains firmly open for a surprise title leap.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC Tampa: Joaquin Buckley sees a shocking jump from Shavkat Rakhmonov
Speaking to the media ahead of his UFC Fight Night main event against Colby 'Chaos' Covington, Buckley was asked what he thought of the competitive co-main event of last weekend's PPV.
“It was boring though,” the Missouri native said, explaining that he was “not at all” impressed that Shavkat Rakhmonov didn't work harder to reach the finish line.
“Again, you have two undefeated guys, you have one who is a finisher and one who is a sniper; I expected one of these guys to go out there and really give it their all, not only go undefeated, but take someone's 0 for real.
“Especially when you have that title [shot] on the line, when you know you're next for that title; you had to go out there and perform like that, and neither of them did that.
Heading into UFC Tampa, Buckley holds the ninth spot in the rankings, which might be a little too far to get him a title shot next; unless of course he achieves another viral finish this weekend.
“Man, I feel like I'm jumping all over Shavkat, I really do… I feel like he's injury prone too, I feel like he's always getting injured or there's always something wrong with him – so maybe he won't even show up to the fight, maybe just be me and Belal [Muhammad] next year.”
The road to UFC gold and glory is tough, but simple: Finish Colby Covington in dramatic fashion, make headlines with a viral post-fight speech, then prepare for a championship match in early 2025.
“The performance had to speak first, you know. I can't go out there and just raise my hand on a split decision, then I don't want it, but if I go out there and do what I know I can do, get the knockout, yeah, man, I'm my grab your belt.”
Joaquin Buckley expects the 'best version' of Covington despite a 12-month layoff
The upcoming main event showdown against Covington is a fascinating matchup, especially since it will be the first time we see “Chaos” in the octagon since his defeat to Leon Edwards in December 2023.
Despite the 12-month absence, Buckley expects to meet the 'best version' of the former champion on December 14 – although his best still won't be enough to get past the surging 'New Mansa'.
“We can all judge that last performance, he wasn't that good… I feel like the best performance I've seen from Colby Covington was against RDA or Jorge Masvidal.
“That was him in peak condition where he was just pushing the pace and showing his dominant style, but again he said he was taking another year off to get back to the person he was.”
At the time of writing, Buckley is the moderate favorite to win, with ¾ of Tapology users siding with the St. Louis superstar: “I expect the best version of Colby, but I feel like his best version still no match for me.”
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley will air live on Saturday, December 14.
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