Joaquin Buckley doesn’t believe Islam Makhachev will want to fight him

UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley doesn’t believe Islam Makhachev would be interested in fighting him.

As we know, Joaquin Buckley has been surging up through the welterweight division. He’s been picking up a parade of big wins as of late and now, he’s gearing up for his biggest challenge to date. On Saturday night, he will lock horns with Kamaru Usman – one of the best welterweight champions of all time.

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While Usman is certainly in with a chance of picking up the win, many believe that Buckley is the favorite. Regardless of whether or not you agree with that assessment, there are plenty of reasons to be positive for him moving forward.

Ahead of fight night, though, he’s decided to look ahead to the future – which could include Buckley squaring off with Islam Makhachev.

Buckley’s view on potential Makhachev fight

“So once I beat Kamaru Usman, there is no debate, there is no back-and-forth, there is no argument, we up next,” Buckley said on his YouTube channel. “You got this guy from 155 coming up thinking he’s going to take my spot. No, we can’t have it. The JDM fight and Islam fight is not a massive fight to make. JDM is the world champion right now, but I truly believe that Islam got to sit back and just wait for me to get my title because I will be the hardest fight that Islam has.”

“He’s not going to outwrestle me. He’s not going to submit me,” Buckley said of Makhachev. “I’ve never been submitted in my career, and he’s definitely not going to stand on the feet with me. If the people want to see it, it’s going to be made. … If Islam does get blessed with that title shot, and he does beat JDM, he’s not going to stay there.

“He’s going to retire. He’s going to get up out of there, quit, because he knows he’s not a natural 170 fighter – and especially with myself, he’s definitely going to run from a person like me.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie