One more for \u201cNew Mansa.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just five days after suffering a violent knockout loss in UFC Edmonton<\/a>\u2019s main event (watch highlights<\/a>), Joaquin Buckley has unexpectedly announced that his next fight will be his last.<\/p>\n The 32-year-old UFC Welterweight revealed the news Thursday in a lengthy Instagram post, attached with a video, explaining that he wants to walk away while he can still be present and healthy for his children.<\/p>\n \u201cThat fight was devastating, and it really affected my family \u2014 the people that are closest to me,\u201d Buckley said. \u201cI listened to my grandmother speak and her pray for me over the phone and her really being upset. She told me to retire and get away from the sport because your mind is your biggest tool and asset, and you don\u2019t wanna lose it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt took a lot for me to listen and digest it, but I took some time and slept on it \u2014 and I realized my grandmother is right,\u201d Buckley continued. \u201cBut with that being said, I told her to pray for me and allow me to grace that Octagon one more time because I can\u2019t leave on a loss\u2026.I really got to save myself from any more mileage I put on myself or damage\u2026We\u2019re going to do it right this time. We\u2019re not cutting any corners, no shortcuts, and we\u2019re going to do the difficult things. As I said, this is the last one, but we\u2019re going to make our last one the best one.\u201d<\/p>\n Buckley did not reveal when his farewell fight will take place or whom he wants standing across the Octagon.<\/p>\n The announcement is particularly surprising because \u201cNew Mansa\u201d insisted he had no intention of stopping immediately after Mike Malott folded him with a brutal second-round knee at UFC Edmonton last weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to stop, I\u2019m going to keep moving forward,\u201d Buckley said following the loss. \u201cI\u2019m going to show you guys the team that I\u2019m with, the team that I\u2019m building and the thing I want to do. Because at the end of the day, man, I\u2019m a fighter that fights.\u201d<\/p>\n His grandmother changed his mind.<\/p>\n The Malott knockout marked Buckley\u2019s third consecutive defeat following decision losses to former Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady. Before that skid, Buckley had rattled off six straight wins after dropping to 170 pounds, capped by stoppage victories over Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington<\/a>.<\/p>\n Buckley currently holds a 21-9 professional record with 15 knockout victories. His UFC run will forever be remembered for his unbelievable spinning back-kick knockout over Impa Kasanganay in 2020, one of the most replayed finishes in company history<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, Buckley gets one final opportunity to produce another unforgettable moment before calling it a career.<\/p>\n But let\u2019s be super honest: do we really believe this?<\/p>\n