The Ultimate Fighting Championship is in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, this weekend for UFC Fight Night 291 at the Rogers Place. In the main event, Joaquin Buckley faces off against Mike Malott at welterweight.
On Friday night, the ceremonial weigh-ins took place with both fighters coming face-to-face one final time before Saturday night’s throwdown.
After hitting the scale and facing off, Buckley met with UFC correspondant McKenzie Pavacich for an interview. That’s when Buckley went mute and did not speak during the entire interview.
On stage, Buckley refused to shake UFC boss Dana White’s hand, so following it up with a silent interview drew some criticism from the fans. From fans calling him a “clown” trying to be like Gable Steveson or Jon Jones to simply calling him out for corny behavior, fans weren’t feeling the “locked in” gimmick.
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MORE: UFC Edmonton fight card & weigh-in results for Joaquin Buckley vs Mike Malott
Joaquin Buckley Gives Silent Interview
“Well, Joaquin, you said it yourself, Fight Week is a celebration of all the hard work. You are so locked in right now. How have the celebrations been this week?,” Pavacich said to crickets. “All right, I think that says more than any words could. Now, third UFC main event, how much confidence do you bring from the previous ones that you’ve had? Now, this one, not necessarily enemy territory.
“You spoke this week about how it’s not really something that applies to you. You are able to connect with people all over the world. You’re able to really enjoy these weeks. What do you think the crowd will be like tomorrow? This might be a first for me, guys. Joaquin, we will let you stay locked in, get ready for this fight. Best of luck to you. Guys, we’ll send it back to you.”
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It’s disrespectful and a played out gimimck, but fighters need to do whatever they can to get in their zone and hype themselves up. However, for Buckley, he’s going to need to put on a show and come away with a quick knockout, or the memes and clowning will be endless.
UFC Edmonton is set to kick off at 5:00 p.m. ET with the preliminary card, before the main card begins at 8:00 p.m. ET with a lightweight scrap between Nate Landwehr and Mandel Nallo.
Dec 13, 2024; Tampa, Florida, UNITED STATES; Joaquin Buckley during weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
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