Sometimes, the best moments from a UFC news conference come not from the fighters on the card but from someone in the crowd or from a fighter who is not competing that weekend. On April 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at the final pre-fight news conference for UFC 300, it was Joaquin Buckley who stole the show.
Buckley, a UFC welterweight who a couple of weeks earlier stopped the estimable Vicente Luque in the second round in Atlantic City, N.J., took the mic to beg UFC CEO Dana White for a spot on a card.
Buckley wasn't looking for just any spot, either. He was eager to get on the May 11 fight night card at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The UFC had already announced that KO king Derrick Lewis would face Rodrigo Nascimento in the main event. It's a good fight, potentially, but neither man had connection to the area. And with The UFC making its return to the city for the first time in six years, it made sense to have a popular local name on the card.
Buckley had an idea how to bolster that card: He'd already pleaded with White to be in the main event, but when White & Co. opted to go with Lewis-Nascimento, he switched gears. Buckley wanted to be on the card, and he didn't care who he faced.
He also pointed out that Lewis, the UFC's all-time knockout leader, notoriously dislikes being in five-rounders.
So Buckley shot his shot, and while White didn't give him an answer that day from the dais, it wasn't long before Buckley was on the card and in the co-main event against Nursulton Ruziboev.
"I mean, that's just how the universe works," Buckley said of his strategic appearance at UFC 300 that led to his co-main event bout Saturday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis against Nursulton Ruziboev. "When you speak things out and when you're unafraid and you're confident and you actually work toward things, the universe will reward you. Dana obviously learning that I wanted to fight in my hometown city and obviously having somebody like me being on the card, he knew the numbers were only going to go up. I'm glad he took the opportunity to put me on the card."
Buckley's appearance in St. Louis may help get a few extra headlines on the news stations locally, but in truth, it's unlikely to sell any more tickets since the majority of UFC events sell out these days. Even though White laughed at UFC 300 and ended the news conference after Buckley's question, he didn't forget.
It's part of the culture he loves, of fighters trying to take on big challenges and compete in difficult situations.
"He definitely caught me off guard at the press conference, but I absolutely love that shit," White told KevinIole.com. "I love it when guys want to take on the pressure of fighting in their hometowns. It was a no-brainer. I loved it and that's why he's the co-main event on that card."
Lewis stayed the main event, though he used his time on the mic at media day to campaign for a three-rounder. It's his 12th main event, but Lewis isn't into that. He would much rather go through.
Buckley had a funny line Wednesday when he was asked about jumping into the main event and having to go five.
"Right? Right? Right?" Buckley said when a reporter reiterated Lewis' distaste for five-round bouts. "I mean, I'm not going to do five rounds, either, but it'd be nice to be the main event, though."
Buckley broke into the rankings after his win over Luque and now sits 11th in the division. He didn't get an easy test in Ruziboev, who also fought in Atlantic City on March 30. He defeated Sedrique Dumas by TKO in the first round that night, and now has won 10 in a row, including his first two UFC bouts. He's also won 12 of his last 13 and has 32 finishes among his 34 professional wins.
Buckley is a -130 favorite at Draft Kings sports book, with Ruziboev at +110. A win would be Buckley's fourth in a row after back-to-back losses and would likely vault him into the welterweight Top 10.
Ruziboev is dropping down from middleweight, and Buckley said that while he's not sure Ruziboev can make it, he doesn't care. He's eager to excite the crowd and deliver a dynamic performance.
"Having the energy of my hometown, having my family out watching me -- and it's been years since the last time I fought in St. Louis, for Bellator back in the day -- and I feel like now that I got this opportunity to fight in my city, I've got to turn up," he said. "I've got to do the most, what people expect, right? They want that viral moment and I feel we're going to get that."