Joaquin Buckley hasn’t fought inside the fabled UFC Octagon in more than six months’ time. When last we saw him, Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) fought in Atlanta at the tail end of the spring season. That Saturday night resulted in a unanimous decision loss for him.
Since then, Buckley returned to the world of combat sports with an appearance during Real American Freestyle over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That, too, was an unsuccessful evening for him, with Joaquin Buckley going down in defeat by way of technical fall to Patrick Downey.
While there’s still no word yet on when Buckley might be scheduled to appear again under MMA rules, he’s been active on Instagram lately. Late last week, Joaquin Buckley took to the Meta-owned platform to instruct current UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev to not aim for a takedown when he next fights.
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Joaquin Buckley Offers Khamzat Chimaev $50,000 to Stay Standing in New Year
In an Instagram post, Buckley issued a simple request: One round of action without any grappling would net him $50,000 (USD.)
“All that striking [you’re] doing right there, just to shoot in the first five seconds of the fight, is just crazy work,” Joaquin Buckley said in the video. “So, look, Khamzat, this is what I’m going to do for you: If you’re able to stay on your feet for one round, just on your feet, and not use your wrestling, I’ll give you $50,000. Oh, you heard me right, $50,000.”
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Joaquin Buckley didn’t stop there, either. He also urged Nassourdine Imavov to do the same.
“Guess what?,” he pondered. “Nassourdine, if you’re able to match that, that’s $100,000, so, Khamzat, take that money or still show you’re a punk by using that wrestling in the first five seconds.”
Khamzat Chimaev Proved Dominant This Summer
It’s been four months since Khamzat Chimaev last fought in the fabled UFC Octagon. On Aug. 16 in UFC 319 from Chicago, Chimaev showed the world why he’s the top dog at 185 in his fight against Dricus du Plessis.
Over the course of the 25 minutes of action inside United Center, Chimaev successfully converted on 12 of his 17 takedown attempts, roughly a 71 percent clip. Additionally, the current champion outpaced his adversary that night in total strikes by a staggering 529-45 margin. Of those 529 strikes landed, 37 were classified as significant.
In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Khamzat Chimaev was interviewed by Joe Rogan on the ESPN+ telecast.
“Get my money,” Chimaev said. “Dana [White,] send my money, brother.”
Chimaev got his money. During the post-fight presser, Dana White awarded Khamzat Chimaev the $50,000 bonus for the Performance of the Night Award. This was his second consecutive post-fight award after a first-round submission win by way of face crank versus Robert Whittaker netted him $50,000 in October of 2024.
Is Joaquin Buckley’s Offer One Khamzat Chimaev Can’t Refuse?
For his career, Khamzat Chimaev boasts a per-15-minute average of 5.29 takedowns and a 55 percent takedown accuracy rate. He’s no slouch when it comes to stuffing an opponent’s takedown effort over the course of a 15 minute fight, as well.
Statistically speaking, Chimaev has stuffed 85 percent of his opponent’s takedowns per 15 minutes inside the Octagon. Another cash advance in the next fight, especially one coming from someone like Joaquin Buckley, may be too tempting to pass up when Chimaev’s first defense of the UFC Middleweight Championship rolls around.
As yet, no opponent for Khamzat Chimaev’s first fight as middleweight champion has been revealed. Nonetheless, it’ll be interesting to see if Chimaev shoots for a takedown in that next fight.
There’s (at least) $50,000 riding on it in that fight. Absent Joaquin Buckley’s open challenge, Chimaev could collect still another bonus following the fight.
