While Joaquin Buckley and Ian Machado Garry are currently pursuing different trajectories in the welterweight division, a future meeting inside the octagon is certainly possible given recent events.
Bad blood surfaced between the two UFC contenders this week, appearing to reach a boiling point during a confrontation at Friday`s ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC Kansas City. Although standing on stage while Buckley was in the crowd, the exchange, while unclear in specifics, visibly agitated both fighters.
Buckley addressed the incident during a media scrum on Saturday, explaining his perspective.
“The reason why he doesn’t understand me is because I don’t speak ‘Cuck-anese,’” Buckley stated. “You understand? So I can understand why he didn’t understand me the first time. But when I was out there, and he doing his weigh-ins, I’m not trying to get into his head and nothing like that, but when you talk like that, don’t act like when you see me like I’m invisible. You talk about me. You saying my name? Holla at me. Let me know something.”
Buckley continued, referencing Garry`s partner: “But you know, his girl very protective, protecting her man. Shit, using the baby like a shield, whatever. But I really wanted to see what Ian Garry’s about and just what he had to say to me in person and he was real quiet.”
Buckley`s provocative remark appears to be a jab related to the public scrutiny Garry frequently faces regarding his personal life and relationship with his wife, Layla, who has actively defended their marriage against negative comments.
Despite the personal animosity, Buckley emphasized he has no interest in settling the score outside of a sanctioned fight. His immediate focus remains on his upcoming headline bout against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta on June 14.
Regarding the weigh-in encounter, Buckley downplayed the physical aspect but noted the tension.
“Nothing happened,” Buckley said. “His girl was touching on my arm and stuff like that, caressing my arm, I don’t know what all that was about. I feel like security, they’ve got to do their job, because they just never know how fighters are going to react, so shout out to them, but for me, I just want to promote and have a conversation, because if we’re really going to get down, let’s get paid for it at the end of the day.”
Ian Machado Garry competed in Saturday`s UFC Kansas City main event, securing a five-round decision victory over Carlos Prates. When questioned about Buckley`s comments during the post-fight press conference, Garry`s response was brief and dismissive.
“That man is an absolute p*ssy,” Garry declared. “I don’t care for anything he has to say. Leave him to be him. Let’s move on.”
He later added, denying any significant interaction: “There was no incident with me at the weigh-ins with Joaquin. I didn’t f*cking see him.”
Following his fight, some observers felt that while Garry secured the win, his performance, particularly not finishing strongly, might have slightly impacted his stock. Similarly, there was discussion that Carlos Prates potentially missed an opportunity to press for a finish in the final round. Scoring also became a point of contention, with some questioning whether a 10-9 score for Prates in the fifth round adequately reflected the action compared to the rounds Garry won.
How did you all score the fight?
