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WOW! KO of the Year Winner Joaquin Buckley Set to Return to UFC Action in a Banger

Published 01/12/2022, 6:02 AM EST

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One of the most viral prospects of the UFC, Joaquin Buckley, will don his MMA gloves for the first time in 2022 as he prepares for a thrilling bout against Abdul Razak Alhassan. Notably, their first bout was scheduled for UFC Fight Night: Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze.

Unfortunately, it got canceled as ‘Judo Thunder’ pulled out of the fight because of unknown reasons. Now, the duo will lock horns at the UFC event on February 19 which will see the Rafael vs Rafael bout between Dos Anjos and Fiziev in the main event. ‘New Mansa’ confirmed the news via his Instagram account.

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At present, Alhassan (11-4), who is coming off a victory over Alessio Di Chirico, snapped his three-fight losing skid back in August.

On the flip-side, ‘New Mansa’ is coming off a victory over Antonio Arroyo from back at UFC Fight Night 192 in September. The middleweight prospect came into the public eyesight after he defeated Impa Kasanganay via a highlight spinning head kick in his second UFC outing.

‘Judo Thunder’ cannot be taken lightly, as he is an extremely formidable middleweight. Notably, as all of Alhassan’s wins have been first-round knockouts, ‘New Mansa’ would have to be defensively responsible.

The viral spinning head kick by Joaquin Buckley

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Although it may not look like it, but Buckley’s spinning head kick knockout is no small affair. Notably, ‘New Mansa’ knocked out fellow middleweight Impa Kasanganay in the second round of their bout at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen in October 2020.

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However, his knockout was so clean and artistic that the commentary booth and live audience stood stunned in awe. Not only that, the video of the knockout later uploaded by the UFC became the most viewed, shared, and liked post by the promotion across all social media handles.

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WATCH THIS STORY-Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze Stats: Record, Height, Reach, and More

Who do you think will win the bout between these knockout artists? Can Buckey pull off an encore? Or will Alhassan win? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Aashish Kumar

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Aashish Kumar is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Journalism & Mass Communication, this Israel Adesanya fan has interned at reputed media houses and gained valuable reporting experience. Building on that experience, Aashish will look to tap into his love for combat sports and let fans benefit from his passion and journalistic expertise.
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