“That twisted my whole mentality” – Joaquin Buckley explains how Vicente Luque’s coach motivated him to KO the Brazilian at UFC Atlantic City 

At UFC Atlantic City, Joaquin Buckley achieved the greatest victory of his career by securing a TKO against Vicente Luque in the co-main event.

Since making his return to the welterweight division, ‘New Mansa’ has emerged victorious in three consecutive fights. His recent win against Luque has propelled him to the No. 11 spot in the division’s top 15 rankings.

Despite his initial intentions, the American fighter has since revealed that his original plan was not to knock out his opponent. He cited the brain bleed that his opponent, ‘The Silent Assassin,’ suffered in a previous match against Geoff Neal in 2022 as the primary factor for his decision. Instead, he had aimed to submit Luque.

During a recent interview with Michael Bisping, the welterweight contender expressed his anger towards one of the Brazilian coaches following a negative interaction.

The individual, who is 29 years old, stated this:

“It ain’t what he said, it’s what he did. At the hotel where all the fighters are, I went to go check my weight to make sure we was good. Henri Hooft was downstairs by himself… We ended up crossing paths. When we first met each other it was all love… But this time, he looked at us and he does this *sleeping on his hands*. He continues to walk away and didn’t say anything. That twisted my whole mentality. I was like, ‘I’m gonna put your boy down, now.’ Because he’s telling me, ‘We’re gonna knock you out tomorrow’”

View Joaquin Buckley’s interview starting at 2:45 in the video below:

Joaquin Buckley defends his victory against Vicente Luque against fan criticism

Joaquin Buckley’s decision to move from middleweight back down to welterweight has proven to be a successful one. He secured a TKO victory over Vicente Luque at UFC Atlantic City, although there have been some critiques about the outcome.

‘The Silent Assassin’ surprised the audience with an unusual move in Round 2, opting to pull guard, a tactic rarely seen from him in the past. Once on the ground, he showed little effort in trying to stand back up and was met with relentless ground-and-pound strikes from ‘New Mansa’ until the referee called an end to the fight.

Despite accusations from fans, Buckley maintains that Luque simply did not have the desire to be in the octagon during the fight.

The welterweight who holds the No.11 ranking responded to fans after his victory, stating the following:

“I’m tired of y’all acting like I’m not that dude, I beat Vicente fair and square. Everything that I did, I broke that man with countless combinations. Hard shots, you saw that man quit.”

Observe Joaquin Buckley’s video featured beneath: