Joaquin Buckley Reveals His Grandmother Convinced Him to Retire From MMA
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Joaquin Buckley has revealed that his grandmother played a major role in convincing him to consider retirement from MMA, sharing how their conversation influenced his decision about his fighting future.
For any athlete, one of the toughest decisions is walking away from the sport they have spent years building their career in. After dedicating a decade to a sport, leaving it behind is never easy. Meanwhile, it seems Joaquin Buckley may have made that decision. Buckley was brutally knocked out by a knee from Mike Malott at UFC Edmonton this past weekend, suffering his third straight loss. His grandmother became emotional and asked him to stop fighting. Now, Buckley seems ready to listen to her.
Joaquin Buckley Shocks Fans With Retirement Announcement
Buckley says the decision to step away wasn't an easy one. What pushed him was hearing his grandmother cry over what she saw. He said people don't understand how deeply that affected him. In his view, the risk and the reward no longer match. His grandmother told him to retire and get away from fighting. He took some time and slept on it, and he came to the conclusion that she was right.
Buckley stated, “It’s hard to make this decision… Hearing my grandmother cry because she couldn’t believe what she saw, y’all don’t know how that affected me. The risk and reward don’t match. told me to retire and get away from fighting. I took some time, I slept on it, and I realized that my grandmother is right. I gotta save myself from anymore damage. This is the last one, but we gonna make our last one the best one.”
Buckley took to Instagram to confirm he is going out on his own terms. He thanked his grandmother for her honesty and prayers, along with everyone who has stayed close to him through all of this, and said he is taking one more fight. Buckley said he has given a lot to the sport, more than he should have in some ways. There comes a point, he wrote, where you have to stop before you give up too much of yourself, and he feels he has reached it.
He is doing it for his longevity and for his kids, so he can stay present and whole for the people who matter most. He promised to give everything he has left in this camp and said he is trusting God to get him through whatever comes with it. Buckley closed the post with a Bible verse from Psalm 21 and a simple message: one more, then he's done.
UFC Star Joaquin Buckley Prepares for One Last Fight After Deciding to Retire
Earlier, Buckley spoke for the first time after his loss to Mike Malott at UFC Edmonton. He stated that he is going to get back to work, and he isn't going to stop moving forward. However, now, as per him, he needs to protect himself from any more damage. The next fight will be his last, Buckley said, and he wants to make it the best one he has ever had.
In his career, Buckley has beaten many big names, from Colby Covington to Stephen Thompson. He was known for his knockout power, earning 15 knockout wins in 21 fights. If this really is the end of his career, his final fight will be an emotional one to watch.
