Joaquin Buckley and the new guard of 170
Welterweight is a division in transition and Joaquin Buckley looks to be part of that.
Taking on divisional staple Colby Covington this weekend, “New Mansa” looks to have his names included with the Shavkat Rakmonov’s, Ian Garry’s, and Jack Della Maddelena’s of the world. A win would do just that.
This weekend will represent a new push at welterweight, one that aims to move on from the old guard into the new. A win would put Buckley’s name right in that mix.
Joaquin Buckley and the new guard
Long has the old guard reigned in the UFC’s welterweight division. Names like Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards, Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal have dominated the top. But recently things have changed. The division is moving on.
Joaquin Buckley has found success since moving down to 170 from his old class of 185. But success has been there for other athletes. Shavkat Rakhmonov just beat Ian Garry at UFC 310. Before that, he became the first to finish Stephen Thompson, a feat Buckley would soon match.
Ian Garry has had his comeuppance as well. He’s beat Neil Magny, Geoff Neal and Michael Page before the Rakhmonov loss. Jack Della Maddelena has beat Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland. Sean Brady beat Burns and Kelvin Gastelum.
We’re seeing a disposal of the old for the new. But the elite have not been featured in that. The Usman-Covington-Edwards round robin hasn’t been dethroned outside of Belal Muhammad’s win over Edwards, no small feat.
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Nobody can fight forever. But for the Covington’s and Usman’s at the top of the heap, we can see fighters outstaying their usefulness. Covington and Usman aren’t the true number three and six contenders. But they’ve procrastinated their way to staying long past their welcome.
Joaquin Buckley has the opportunity to get a career best win and put himself in with that next generation of welterweight champions. A win over Covington gives him something else.
Is Colby Covington washed? Most likely. He is 36 and well past his prime. He looked terrible against Leon Edwards, which was his last fight, nearly two years ago. But he’s not there in the eyes of many fans.
A win over Colby Covington, who has only lost to champions since 2016, is still quality in terms of name building. Joaquin Buckley can make a statement unlike anyone else. Make a statement: Forget Shavkat, Jack Della, Ian Garry. This is “New Mansa’s” division.
