The Joaquin Buckley highlight reel continues to grow after another big finish Saturday at UFC Fight Night 192.
After a back-and-forth middleweight fight for more than two rounds, Buckley (13-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) came out eager to do something big in the third round of his bout with Antonio Arroyo (9-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC). He got that with a TKO at the 2:26 mark of Round 3.
Buckley stormed Arroyo with a combination and landed a right hook and short uppercut combination that floored Arroyo. He landed a few follow-up blows to force the referee to step in.
Check out the replay of Buckley’s finish (via Twitter):
Needing a finish, @NewMansa94 gets it done in the 3rd 🔥🔥🔥 #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/DUJm5T4Cwu
— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021
Another highlight reel KO for @NewMansa94 💪 #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/DnZZ53iNiW
— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021
After recording the 2020 “Knockout of the Year” with his viral finish of Impa Kasanganay, Buckley had some of the wind taken out of his sails with a brutal knockout loss to Alessio Di Chirico in January. He bounced back strong, though.
It was an important fight for both Buckley and Arroyo, and while Buckley admitted post-fight he would’ve likely lost a decision (one judge had Arroyo up 20-18 after two rounds, and the other two had the fight even), he took that element out of the equation by stopping the fight with strikes.
“That was a beautiful fight for me and Antonio, man,” Buckley said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I know he was fighting for his job. UFC, keep this man. Keep him.”
