Joaquin Buckley claims he was slated for a bout against ranked welterweight at UFC 304 - "I was supposed to fight in Manchester"
Joaquin Buckley recently opened up about what could be next for him in the welterweight division and claimed that he was even slated for UFC 304. He noted that there had been an offer to fight another top ranked welterweight when the promotion returns to Manchester for their pay-per-view event.
'New Mansa' has been making headlines as of late, especially following his call out for Conor McGregor and reaction to the criticism it gained afterwards. He has performed well since moving to 170 pounds as he has won four consecutive fights and is currently ranked No.11 in the UFC's welterweight rankings.
While speaking to MiddleEasy, 'New Mansa' opened up about the landscape in the welterweight division and who he could fight next. Buckely mentioned that there had been an offer to fight No.13-ranked Michael 'Venom' Page at UFC 304, but it failed to materialize. He said:
"I was supposed to fight in Manchester, but the person [Page] moved on" [H/T MiddleEasy]
Check out Championship Rounds' tweet regarding Joaquin Buckley vs. Michael 'Venom' Page below:
![Tweet regarding Buckley vs. 'MVP' [Image courtesy: @ChampRDS - X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/05/d644b-17165821671874-1920.jpg?w=500)
Joaquin Buckley asserts he was also linked to a bout with Gilbert Burns
Joaquin Buckley has been determined to insert himself into the top-10 of the UFC's welterweight division and even pursued a potential bout against Gilbert Burns.
During the aforementioned interview, 'New Mansa' noted that although the former title challenger agreed to fight him, a bout couldn't be finalized because there are other plans for the Brazilian. If it could have gone ahead, Buckley would have had an opportunity to possibly insert himself into the title picture with an impressive win. He said:
"He might have responded, but I think he has another fight...I'm not supposed to say anything, but he has another opponent and it's not me." [H/T MiddleEasy]
Check out the full interview below: