UFC Welterweight slugger Joaquin Buckley has beef with fellow contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Three days ago, Buckley posted a callout to social media, daring Rakhmonov to “stop hiding.” Rakhmonov wrote a response that Google translates to, “Black boy, you will be beaten.” I’m no expert on Kazakh translations and how accurate that is, but I know one thing: Buckley did not appreciate that answer.
In a fiery response, a very hyped up Buckley demanded a fight versus Rakhmonov and promised to “f—k him up.” If Buckley doesn’t get the fight immediately, he’s willing to take on anyone else that will get him to “Nomad.”
”I had to take everything that I built for brick-by-brick,” Buckley yelled. “Straight from the dirt. Straight from the mud. That’s why these boys not gone beat me. I don’t care about that Usman fight. That man had to hold me down. Don’t nobody want to fight with me toe-to-toe.
“Shavkat, I heard you chirping. I heard you talking about ‘black boy’. Imma show you that damn boy, show you where the f—k we come from. How long that we been struggling. How long we’ve been deprived. How we still get up every single time we get knocked down, how we still get up and run s—t over. I’m gonna f—k you up and anybody else that want it! Shavkat, if you don’t sign the motherf—ker, somebody else gonna die. I promise you dog. I’m burying everybody in the UFC, and I ain’t playing!“
Beyond the bad blood, this matchup makes a good deal of sense in the likely event Shavkat Rakhmonov isn’t immediately given a title shot upon his return. In that case, he needs one more win to really assert his top contender status and set up the Islam Makhachev fight. Why not Buckley, a dangerous knockout artist, Top 10 Welterweight, and man who would clearly sell the fight?
UFC matchmakers love when fighters to the legwork for them and create high-profile fights. Don’t be surprised if “Nomad” signs the contract, and Buckley vs. Rakhmonov materializes sometime in 2026.
