Joaquin Buckley interview UFC Atlanta against Kamaru Usman

Joaquin Buckley is one of UFC’s brightest young stars and his current trajectory lends itself to becoming a champion, a title that he isn’t shy about coveting. His confidence in himself and his genuine respect for opponents work in tandem to motivate Buckley to train like a winner but keep his ego in check. We were granted an opportunity to speak to the St. Louis, Missouri native prior to his upcoming fight against savvy veteran Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta on June 14.

Buckley’s demeanor inside the ring is that of an unrelenting brawler who refuses to back down but outside of the ring he radiates a calmly familiarity like he’s known you for years. We took notice of the way he interacts with fans via social media videos and got to experience it first hand upon meeting the 31-year-old at State Farm Arena to get his thoughts on this fight and where he wants to go in his career.

When asked about his endearing relationship with his supporters Buckley was quick to relate to them not as a fighter but as a fan himself.

I’m a fan myself. So, I look at how—if I met one of my favorite fighters—how would I want them to treat me as fan. I got to meet George St. Pierre. I got to meet Rampage Jackson. I got to meet a lot of great fighters. Some were great interactions. Some not the best. So, I try my best to give the best interactions. I feel like once you do that, you show that love, they give it right back to you. The reason I’m back on the main event is not just because of my performances but because people want to see me.

Over the course of his career, Buckley has been outspoken about getting Black youth into MMA and more Black fans into the arenas. He readily admits that boxing is the HNIC for many Black folks when it comes to combat sports but he sees himself a conduit to help bring more awareness and interest to the sport.

The more representation you see, the more people are going to gravitate toward that. Outside of myself we’ve definitely had other Black athletes like Jon Jones, Tyron Woodley, and the list goes on—to really harness that and go into the inner cites and show kids that this could be an avenue. When you grow up in poverty and struggle and you trying to but your mom a house…you’re gonna go to the sport that’s gonna pay you.

When it came to the topic of Kamaru Usman, who is coming of a year-long sabbatical, Buckley was all about his business.

From the optics of the people, it might look like Usman is on his way out and I’m on my way up but I ain’t got that twisted. The reason he took that year off is because he needed to work on himself and prepare himself better so when he signs that contract, he knows that he’s ready. This is going to be the most prepared Usman that I fight. This might even be a better Usman than the one who fought for the belt against Woodley.

If that is indeed the case, then Joaquin Buckley has his work cut out for him