UFC fighter Joaquin Buckley announced Thursday night that he is retiring from MMA after his next fight.
In a video posted by Happy Punch on X, Buckley noted that the result of his most recent fight and the manner in which it impacted his family led to his decision:
“Hearing my grandmother speak and listening to her talk, and hearing her cry about me having to stop doing this sport because she couldn’t believe what she saw, ya’ll don’t know how that affected me,” Buckley said.
Buckley admitted that it was a “hard” decision, but since he is “so far away” from his goal of becoming world champion, it “doesn’t make any sense” to continue fighting.
His most recent bout saw him fall to Mike Malott at UFC Fight Night last weekend via second-round knockout.
Malott caught Buckley flush on the chin with a knee, causing Buckley to go limp and fall to the canvas. Malott went in for the finish, but the referee quickly stepped in and ended the fight:
For Buckley, it was his third consecutive loss, bringing his career record to 21-9 with 15 wins by way of knockout.
The 32-year-old fighter from St. Louis turned pro in 2014, and he made his UFC debut in 2020 in a loss to Kevin Holland.
From May 2023 to December 2024, Buckley reeled off six consecutive wins in the welterweight division, including arguably the biggest victory of his career when he beat former UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington.
Buckley was seemingly closing in on a title shot of his own at that point, but a unanimous-decision loss to Kamaru Usman last year, followed by losses to Sean Brady and Malott halted his progress.
Given his recent struggles, Buckley is ready to step away from the sport of MMA, but he is committed to having one more fight before doing so.
