Joaquin Buckley has announced he will compete only one more time in the UFC. The welterweight plans to retire from MMA after that final bout. No opponent or date for the fight has been announced.
Joaquin Buckley has said he will compete in the UFC one more time before retiring from mixed martial arts. The welterweight made the announcement in an interview, but no opponent or date has been set for the farewell bout.
Buckley, 32, enters the final stretch of his career with a 21-9 record and a ranking of No. 10 in the welterweight division. The American fights out of Murcielago MMA as a southpaw, standing five-foot-ten with a 76-inch reach. He is known as "New Mansa," and his career numbers reflect a high-pressure style: he lands 3.62 significant strikes per minute at 36 percent accuracy, and averages 1.43 takedowns per 15 minutes.
The announcement arrives just days after his most recent recorded fight. Buckley lost by second-round KO/TKO to Mike Malott at UFC Fight Night on October 17, 2026. That result extended a skid of three straight defeats in the UFC's recorded bouts. Before the Malott loss, he dropped a unanimous decision to Sean Brady at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026, and before that went the full five rounds against Kamaru Usman in June 2025, also losing on the scorecards.
Two of those three losses came by decision, which suggests Buckley has stayed competitive against top-level opposition even as the results turned. The Malott defeat was the only one of the three to end inside the distance.
Why it matters
- Buckley remains ranked in the welterweight top 10, so his final opponent could carry rankings significance for another contender.
- A retirement plan after a three-fight losing run puts the focus on how the UFC matches him for a send-off.
- At 32, he is stepping away at an age when many welterweights are still competing near the top of the division.
The details of the final fight, including whether it would come against a ranked opponent, remain unknown. Buckley's statement leaves open when he will return to the cage, but it sets a clear endpoint for a career that built its reputation on aggressive striking and a steady takedown game.
