Joaquin Buckley Rips ‘Pretty Boy’ Israel Adesanya After ‘Hate’ Reaction Video

UFC welterweight star Joaquin Buckley slams Israel Adesanya for his previous hateful comments.

Joaquin Buckley Rips ‘Pretty Boy’ Israel Adesanya After ‘Hate’ Reaction Video

Joaquin Buckley gives a detailed threat to Israel Adesanya (via X/Imago)

At UFC Atlanta, top welterweight Joaquin Buckley failed to secure a victory against former champion Kamaru Usman in a rather disappointing performance. Despite confidently hyping himself before the fight, ‘New Mansa’ couldn’t back up his words and was outclassed by Usman. After the loss, Buckley didn’t offer excuses but surprisingly ignited a new beef with middleweight star Israel Adesanya.

Going into UFC Atlanta, Israel Adesanya supported his African brother Kamaru Usman and shared a live reaction on YouTube. During the stream, Adesanya bluntly admitted that he just hates Buckley without having any specific reason for the dislike. In response, Buckley addressed the clip in a new video, slamming Adesanya for expressing random and unjustified hatred publicly.

You ain’t no real fighter. You wanna be a little pretty boy. I would give you a sample but I don’t like boy p*ssy. You can get this work any given time. I can give it to you. But I just hate fighters like you because you tryna downplay on somebody that’s trying to work towards something. What you hating on me for? You did what you did. But look at another brother trying to make it up and you wanna clown him. Oh, but I forgot, you’re Chinese. You ain’t another brother.

The Chinese comment refers to his years of training fighting in China before joining the UFC. Some online trolls exaggerate this relationship to mock him, especially when he references Chinese culture or phrases. However, these jokes are often rooted in misunderstanding or used to discredit his identity, despite his Nigerian-New Zealand background.

During UFC 293, Sean Strickland mocked Adesanya’s China ties while defeating him to become the new middleweight champion. Since then, ‘Izzy’ has lost two more fights, raising serious concerns about his decline. In his most recent outing, he suffered a brutal TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov, deepening fans’ skepticism about any comeback.

However, dream comebacks aren’t impossible and Usman just proved that with his stunning return win at UFC Atlanta last weekend. After four winless years, Usman’s dominant performance has suddenly catapulted him back into the top ranks of the welterweight division. Now, all eyes will be on Adesanya to see if he can replicate a similar comeback in the near future.

Joaquin Buckley credits Kamaru Usman for his victory

Heading into UFC Atlanta, Joaquin Buckley made several mocking remarks aimed at Kamaru Usman, showing clear signs of overconfidence. Buckley appeared to overlook the former champion, already discussing potential title fights before even stepping inside the cage. However, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ executed a composed game plan, maintaining discipline and control throughout several rounds.

Joaquin Buckley praises Kamaru Usman
Joaquin Buckley praises Kamaru Usman (via X)

There were widespread doubts about Usman’s ability to compete due to his knee injuries affecting daily movement. Despite concerns, Usman silenced critics with a strong performance that reminded everyone of his elite championship-level skillset. Surprisingly, even Buckley expressed admiration afterward, praising Usman’s grit on the Pound-for-Pound Podcast in a respectful acknowledgment.

We always complain about him not having any knees. That’s been a problem for a long time. Kamaru Usman is one of the best wrestlers out there. Even though I out wrestled Coby, you could still take me down and hold me down. You didn’t react to anything I was saying on the ground. I was trying to get that emotional reaction out of you. The only person that was getting frustrated was me.

Usman revealed he ignored Buckley’s trash talk entirely, keeping a straight face to gain a psychological edge before the fight. Now, the veteran seeks a title shot and hopes to face the winner of Jack Della Maddalena versus Islam Makhachev. However, there’s also a strong possibility that Usman could face Belal Muhammad next in a high-stakes welterweight contender matchup.