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After Conor McGregor call out gets rejected by Dana White, Joaquin Buckley names ‘realistic’ opponent for next fight

Originally posted on FirstSportz
By Neial Nishant Bhuyan | Last updated 5/13/24

UFC superstar Conor McGregor is not a ‘realistic’ fight for Joaquin Buckley, at least for now. He recently called out McGregor after his latest win at UFC on ESPN 56. At the post-fight press conference, Buckley addressed the callout and mentioned another fighter he would be interested to take on.

Joaquin Buckley sat down for the questions after his unanimous decision win at UFC St. Louis. During the discussion, one reporter asked who was another welterweight Buckley would be interested in fighting. To this, he replied:

Gilbert Burns I think he's a beautiful fight, he's a beautiful matchup. I don't know when he's gonna be cleared when he's going to be ready. But Gilbert Burns, definitely. Joaquin Buckley at the post-fight presser

He was asked about the Conor McGregor callout and how Dana White turned down the idea. Buckley said that he simply went for the biggest fight he could think of. He accepted that it was highly unlikely he would get that fight anytime soon but, why not take that chance? Thus, he simply went for the biggest callout that he could make.

Joaquin Buckley callout of Conor McGregor at #UFCStLouis was shut down by Dana White, so he's shifting gears to a more "realistic" name in Gilbert Burns. pic.twitter.com/QoUx5Kfa0Y
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 12, 2024

Interestingly, Buckley had been pitching a showdown with Ian Garry forever. Fans were confused as to why he did not aim for that call-out. Meanwhile, Garry had refused to fight Buckley or anyone below his ranking last year. This could be the reason why ‘New Mansa’ called out Gilbert Burns instead of the undefeated Irish welterweight.

Dana White praised Joaquin Buckley but would not give him the Conor McGregor fight

Dana White was full of praise for Joaquin Buckley after his performance at UFC St. Louis. He took on Nursulton Ruziboev and their fight went the distance. Ultimately Buckley walked away with the unanimous decision victory.

Dana White was impressed by his performance. At the post-fight press conference, he said:

Buckley called for this, came out, and he delivered. That guy is going to be a rock star here now. People who didn’t know who he was yesterday, definitely know who he is now.
Dana White at the post-fight presser

He's got his eyes on ONE person after tonight's victory @NewMansa94 | #UFCStLouis pic.twitter.com/rPsQzc8W2a
— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2024

However, as for the McGregor call out he had a simple “Nuh-uh” as a response. Buckley is now on a four-fight winning streak and already two fights into 2024. He currently ranks #11 in the UFC’s welterweight rankings. It will be interesting to see how far the 30-year-old talent takes his career.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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