Moving down in weight class, but in the biggest fight of his life, Nursulton Ruziboev He doesn’t mind the conversation.
Half of UFC on ESPN 56 co-main event, Ruziboev (34-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) listens to his opponent’s conversation Joaquin Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC), but sees it as insecurity. The two fight in a three-round welterweight bout Saturday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
“He talks too much,” Buckley told reporters Wednesday during a pre-fight press conference. “He always did that. I don’t understand everything he says because English is still difficult for me, but I’ve seen it in videos. Maybe this is his way of showing his insecurity. Maybe he talks so much because he’s trying to show me that he’s afraid of me.”
Buckley has stood out in recent months with wins over Andre Fialho, Alex Morono and Vicente Luque. The victories took him to the official UFC ranking, reaching 11th position.
As his success grew, so did Buckley’s reach on social media. Without holding back and giving his opinion, Buckley showed an outgoing and expressive personality with comical posts and callouts.
Recently, Buckley showed off an army of tall training partners he assembled to prepare for the burly 6’5″ welterweight Ruziboev.
“Yes, I saw the video,” Ruziboev said. “It looks like they were all about 6’4″. None of them were 6’5″. So it doesn’t matter if they’re all super tall or something. I’m going to enter the octagon against him. I will ask God for help. God is going to grant me this victory, so I’m ready for it.”
The fight was booked at short notice for both men. Buckley campaigned hard to fight in his hometown and even took the microphone during the UFC 300 press conference to ask Dana White for the opportunity. The promotion gave Buckley what he wanted and now Ruziboev plans to ruin the homecoming.
“I’ve fought a lot in enemy territory, so it doesn’t really matter to me because inside the Octagon it’s just going to be me and him,” Ruziboev said. “Everyone will be rooting for him, but he will be the only one in front of me, so that won’t be a problem for me.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 56.
