Joaquin Buckley is the toast of the town after treating fight fans to perhaps the best knockout in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA) last night (Sat., Oct. 10, 2020) at UFC Fight Island 5, flattening Impa Kasanganay with a spectacular spin kick (see it again here).
Shortly after his win, he was taken backstage for a post-fight interview. But, right before he got on the mic and on camera, he got a big surprise in the form of UFC President, Dana White. Indeed, the brash head honcho took the time to congratulate Buckley — who was caught off guard — in person for his dazzling finish.
White praised Buckley for his performance and ability to stand out, while revealing all the adulation he was already getting from the MMA community.
“I always talk about when you’re on a card, right?” White said. “How do you stand out? My phone is blowing up. Kevin Iole f—king hit me up for a quote because he’s already doing a story on you.
“Everybody is saying, ‘just give him $200,000 tonight. Give him every bonus’” he continued. “Nobody has ever seen anything like that. Sean Shelby texted me and said, ‘write him a check right now for $50,000 and go give it to him before he gets out’ ... incredible.”
And while he teased that he deserved $200,000 for the knockout, he wound up getting a (disclosed) $50,000 check. That being said, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up getting an undisclosed locker room bonus, as well.
The performance put him back in the win column after having his two-fight win streak snapped by Kevin Holland a few months ago in Las Vegas, Nevada. More important, he will be getting a lot of attention moving forward, and he will also be on every single highlight reel in the coming days.
For complete UFC Fight Island 5 results and coverage click here.
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