Joaquin
Buckley followed up his “Knockout of the Year” frontrunner with
another stoppage victory at UFC 255 this past Saturday, but that
doesn’t mean “New Mansa” is going to quit his day job.
Buckley revealed to TMZ Sports that he is working on getting an
apparel business up and running, but until that happens, he plans
on keeping his gig at national pharmacy store chain Walgreens.
“Besides the UFC, and they’re giving me these big checks, I still
don’t have a business of my own,” Buckley said. “I need to just
keep working and having that working mentality and work ethic. So
I’m just gonna keep holding down the job. Until my business is off
the ground, we’re gonna still keep working at Walgreens.”
Buckley likely clinched the top spot for best KO of 2020 with his
spinning back kick finish of Impa
Kasanganay at UFC Fight Night 179 on Oct. 10. The 26-year-old
St. Louis native wasn’t quite as spectacular with his follow-up
effort, but he was nonetheless impressive in knocking out Jordan
Wright in the second stanza at UFC 255.
Buckley hopes to return to the Octagon in January on what figures
to be a blockbuster pay-per-view bill.
“I’m gonna take December off, but hopefully get back in there in
January. To get on that Conor
McGregor–Dustin
Poirier 2 card, that’d be dope,” Buckley said. “Hopefully I get
to go against that guy that I really want. No need to mention his
name. If they give that to me, that’d be perfect. But if they give
me anybody else, that’s cool too as long as I get to fight in
January.”
“That guy,” of course,” is James
Krause, who
didn’t have anything positive to say about Buckley due to an
interaction with “New Mansa” when he attempted to train at Glory
MMA & Fitness last summer.
“It’s just pure lies. Him tellling everyone I got kicked out of
every gym. That’s not true. Him saying I tried to knock out all my
sparring partners. It’s just not true,” Buckley said. “He’s just
out here spreading lies and spreading rumors. That’s crazy. And
people actually believe in this dude.
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s getting frustrating. For him to think he
can keep talking this stuff without any type of punishment or any
type of consequences is ridiculous. I’m gonna see him regardless if
the UFC gives me the fight or not.”
Buckley’s recent run has thrust him into the spotlight, and he
realizes that stardom comes with a price. That doesn’t matter so
much if he keeps adding knockout victims to his resume.
“People are always gonna have something to say,” Buckley said.
“People are always gonna have their opinions about me — whether I’m
good or whether I’m great. But that doesn’t matter. I’m just gonna
keep doing what I’m doing, knocking them down and getting these
paychecks.”