In an appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley offered his take on the current landscape of the UFC welterweight division, coining a colorful term for the elite wrestlers dominating the sport.
“I call them the booty warriors, right? The booty warriors are taking over right now,”
Buckley explained during the podcast.
“You got Islam, you know, Sean Brady and my man Kamaru Usman himself.”
Buckley’s assessment highlights how elite wrestlers like Islam Makhachev, Sean Brady, and Usman have used their grappling skills to neutralize dangerous strikers.
“The wrestling is always going to be a threat, right? The wrestling is always going to be obviously the neutralizer, not just with guys that have good power, but yet again, you’re not a threat if you’re on your back the whole time,”
he noted.
The St. Louis native’s perspective comes from firsthand experience, having been controlled on the ground for much of his bout against Usman. Despite his reputation as a knockout artist with four finishes in his previous six-fight winning streak, Buckley found himself unable to implement his striking game plan.
“I really feel like at the end of the day, you know, Kamaru Usman, he was the best version of himself that night. And I can’t even lie, I was the best version of myself. The only difference was is that I didn’t execute,”
Buckley admitted.
The loss served as a learning experience for the always-dangerous welterweight, who acknowledged that wrestling preparation alone wasn’t enough.
“We prepared for it, bro. We knew that you know Kamaru man is one of the best wrestlers out there,”
he said, referencing how even his previous wrestling improvements weren’t sufficient against Usman’s elite grappling.
Beyond the physical aspects, Buckley emphasized how the wrestling dominance affects competitors mentally. He described becoming frustrated during the fight as Usman controlled him on the ground, leading to a departure from his usual confident approach.
“I’m not going to lie to you. You didn’t react to nothing I was saying on the ground, bro, and I was trying to get that emotional reaction out of you, but yet again, this is more mental than it is anything else,”
Buckley explained to Usman.
Despite the setback, Buckley remains optimistic about his future in the division. He suggested that understanding and potentially adapting to the “booty warrior” approach could be key to his continued success.
“You might see Buck become a booty warrior pretty soon, too. You know what I’m saying? Taking dudes down, holding them down, and just getting down to the round. But at the end of the day, it’s all about winning, right?”
he said.
The welterweight contender’s analysis reflects a broader trend in modern MMA, where elite wrestling continues to prove its effectiveness against even the most dangerous strikers.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about winning. That’s the only thing that matter.”
With his colorful terminology and honest assessment, Buckley has identified what many consider the current meta of elite-level MMA competition, where wrestlers who can control position and pace often dictate the terms of engagement against explosive strikers.
