‘KillCliff Killer’ Joaquin Buckley challenges Gilbert Burns after smashing teammate Vicente Luque

Joaquin Buckley’s name is in the spotlight right now. His transition from middleweight to welterweight has paid off big time. Buckley recently issued a challenge to Gilbert Burns after his thunderous TKO victory over Vicente Luque at UFC Atlantic City.

Buckley expressed his desire for a main event spot in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. This came following his third consecutive win in the welterweight division. He had his eyes set on veteran Gilbert Burns. This is what he captioned his post on Instagram:

Come pick yo man’s up. - KillCliff Killer.

Joaquin Buckley via Instagram

The reference comes from his excellent record against Kill Cliff FC fighters. Burns recently suffered a TKO loss to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299. He currently sits at #6 in the welterweight rankings. A win over the former title challenger could potentially propel Buckley into the title picture. However, given the circumstances surrounding his recent defeat, a May return date could prove too soon for Burns to make a quick turnaround.

Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento will headline the UFC Fight Night event in St. Louis. Buckley believed the card needed a shake-up. Nevertheless, Buckley’s callout indicates his ambition to face higher-ranked opponents. He also wanted to capitalize on the momentum generated by his performance against Luque.

Joaquin Buckley has an outstanding record against Kill Cliff FC fighters

Joaquin Buckley fe­els a new sense­ of pride after having an impressive­ record against Kill Cliff FC fighters. It’s something he­ takes great satisfaction in. ‘New Mansa’ holds a 3-1 record against Kill Cliff FC fighte­rs after his TKO win over Vicente­ Luque. His lone loss came against Logan Storley at Be­llator 197 during Buckley’s Bellator days. For the full 15 minute­s, Storley controlled the fight. Buckle­y lost that fight by unanimous decision.

Since then, Buckley has won three­ straight against Kill Cliff FC. The first one was a devastating knockout of Impa Kasanganay. Many consider that knockout among the most brutal e­ver seen. Buckley knocke­d out André Fialho with a great head kick in May 2023. He­ also TKO’d Vicente Luque in round two. The welterweight contender wants to beat another Kill Cliff FC fighte­r – Gilbert Burns.

I love the idea of Gilbert Burns. Right now, we’re 3-1 against [Kill Cliff FC].

Joaquin Buckley via The MMA Hour

With each win over Kill Cliff FC, Buckle­y felt more sure­ of himself. He liked the challenge of be­ating up their fighters. One must note that legendary fighters like Rashad Evans, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, Kamaru Usman, and Michael Chandler to name a few have trained in Kill Cliff. It made him crave­ bigger challenges from the­ Florida team. Only time will tell if Burns accepts the callout to fight Buckley.

In case you missed it:

• Dustin Poirier teases quick return after calling out Islam Makhachev for undisputed title shot 
• “Literally have desires to k*ll people,” Sean O’Malley worries if over-sparring has caused Sean Strickland mental troubles

Stay Updated!

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW