Joaquin Buckley Says He Plans One Final Fight Before Retiring from MMA

Joaquin Buckley says he intends to step away from MMA after one more fight, with a conversation with his grandmother prompting him to rethink his future following a knockout loss to Mike Malott at UFC Edmonton.

Buckley revealed that the talk with his grandmother convinced him to reconsider where his career is heading. He plans to compete once more before walking away to put his family first. No date or opponent for that final bout has been reported.

The 32-year-old welterweight from the United States, who fights out of Murcielago MMA, holds a 21-9 record and is ranked number 10 in the division. A southpaw standing five-foot-ten with a 76-inch reach, he lands 3.62 significant strikes per minute at 36 percent accuracy and averages 1.43 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Malott, a 34-year-old Canadian ranked 13th at welterweight, improved his record to 15-2-1 with the finish. The Team Alpha Male fighter stands six-foot-one, three inches taller than Buckley, and lands 4.02 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy. He stopped Buckley in the second round on October 17, and it was the first meeting between the two.

Why it matters

• Buckley has lost three straight recorded fights: a unanimous decision to Kamaru Usman in June 2025, a unanimous decision to Sean Brady in May 2026 and the knockout against Malott.
• The Malott loss was his first stoppage defeat in that run, after two fights that went the distance.
• A final fight from a ranked welterweight would close out a career that includes 21 wins.
• Malott has now won three in a row, including a third-round knockout of Gilbert Burns in April and a decision over Kevin Holland in October 2025.

The retirement plan is Buckley's own stated intention, and the timing and opponent of his last appearance remain open.