Fresh off one of the most stunning knockouts in UFC history, Joaquin Buckley has his next assignment set.
At UFC Fight Island 5, Buckley (11-3) took advantage of opponent Impa Kasanganay catching an initial kick to propel himself into a second attack, a jumping spinning back kick. It connected flush with Kasanganay’s face, knocking him out and completing what some have called the greatest UFC knockout of all time.
With so much hype behind Buckley’s name at the moment, the promotion has opted to give him a quick turnaround. He’ll compete at UFC 255 next month, where he will face Jordan Wright (11-0, 1NC), a.k.a. “The Beverly Hills Ninja.”
ESPN, the UFC’s official broadcast partner in the U.S., was first to report news of the booking.
Wright earned a TKO win in his octagon debut against Isaac Villanueva in August. The doctor’s stoppage came barely a minute and a half into a fight Wright had simply dominated.
Prior to that appearance, Wright had fought for LFA, and also had an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. However, that bout against Anthony Hernandez was later ruled a no contest.
Buckley improved to 1-1 inside the octagon with his finish of Kasanganay, after losing his debut against Kevin Holland earlier this year.
UFC 255 is expected to take place on November 21, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Deiveson Figueiredo defends his flyweight title against Alex Perez in the main event, while in the co-feature, women’s flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko faces former Invicta FC champ Jennifer Maia.
