Buckley says goodbye!! One of the most entertaining fighters in the welterweight division Joaquin Buckley has decided to lay the gloves down in his next fight following a bad knockout loss to Mike Malott. Buckley has always been the type to wear his heart on his sleeve and give everything has. From main eventing numerous cards to delivering one of the most viral knockouts the sport has ever seen, there was never a dull moment when he fought. Following his loss to Mike Malott in the main event of UFC Canada Buckley says the risk is to much after seeing how the loss was affecting the people closest to him and has decided to put them first. Buckley's main goal in the sport was to become a world champion and has decided that dream to to far out of reach in this stage of his career. What was your favourite Buckley moment?
Joaquin Buckley has announced his retirement from MMA, saying he is stepping away in the wake of his knockout loss to Mike Malott in the UFC Canada main event.
Buckley said the risk of continuing has become too great after seeing how the defeat affected the people closest to him, and that he has chosen to put them first. He also said his central goal in the sport, becoming a world champion, now feels too far out of reach at this stage of his career.
The 32-year-old from the United States, who fights out of Murcielago MMA, leaves the sport with a 21-9 record. He is ranked 12th in the welterweight division. A southpaw who stands five-foot-ten with a 76-inch reach, Buckley built his name on entertaining, high-risk fights and a long run of main-event slots, along with one of the most viral knockouts the sport has produced.
The loss to Malott was a second-round KO/TKO on October 17, 2026. It extended a difficult stretch: Buckley's two previous recorded fights were both unanimous decision losses, to Sean Brady at UFC 328 in May 2026 and to Kamaru Usman in June 2025. That makes three straight defeats heading into his decision. Across his career he has landed 3.62 significant strikes per minute at 36 percent accuracy.
Malott, 34, represents Canada and trains at Team Alpha Male. The 15-2-1 welterweight is ranked 10th and carries momentum, having stopped Gilbert Burns by third-round KO/TKO in April 2026 after a unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland in October 2025. His striking numbers sit above Buckley's, at 4.02 significant strikes per minute with 48 percent accuracy, and he averages 1.63 takedowns per 15 minutes to Buckley's 1.43. Malott's win over Buckley was the pair's only recorded meeting.
Why it matters
- Buckley's exit removes a ranked name from the welterweight top 15.
- Malott's second straight knockout win adds to his case in the division's upper tier.
- Buckley, who has lost three in a row, is walking away on his own terms rather than waiting for the matchmakers to decide.
