Hot on the heels of their respective attempts to step into the main event of UFC 310, two of the welterweight division’s most exciting talents have been booked to face each other in the final UFC fight card of the year.
Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley both offered to step in to face Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of UFC 310 after reigning welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was ruled out of the headlining bout due to an infected foot.
But, rather than getting the nod to step in and face the Kazakh in Las Vegas, Machado Garry and Buckley will now face each other in an top-drawer bout at 170 pounds in Tampa, Florida on December 14.
Capping off the year with a BANGER 🔥@IanGarryMMA vs @NewMansa94 is the #UFCTampa MAIN EVENT!
Get tickets 👉 https://t.co/eoKeUgRb8k pic.twitter.com/QJofp85j9y
— UFC (@ufc) November 1, 2024
The bout pits head to head the division’s seventh- and ninth-ranked contenders, as Machado Garry puts his undefeated record on the line against hard-hitting Buckley, who has looked outstanding since dropping down from middleweight to welterweight.
Machado Garry’s unblemished 15-0 record includes eight UFC wins, with his last three victories coming on the scorecards as he defeated ranked opponents Neil Magny, Geoff Neal and Michael Page.
Buckley, meanwhile, made the switch from 185 pounds to 170 pounds after back-to-back losses at middleweight, and has been perfect in his five fights since. Victories over Andre Fialho, Alex Morono, Vicente Luque, Nursulton Ruziboev and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson have now established “New Mansa” in the welterweight top 10, and he plans on making another jump up the rankings by handing Machado Garry the first loss of his career.
UFC Tampa: Reported fights
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley – welterweight
- Amanda Ribas vs. Mackenzie Dern – women’s strawweight
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino – light heavyweight
- Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick – women’s flyweight
- Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva – flyweight
- Cub Swanson vs. Billy Quarantillo – featherweight
- Michael Johnson vs. Ottman Azaitar – lightweight
- Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez – bantamweight
- Piera Rodriguez vs. Josefine Knutsson – women’s strawweight
- Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tukkos – light heavyweight
- Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras – bantamweight
- Drakkar Klose vs. Joel Alvarez – lightweight
- Sean Woodson vs. Fernando Padilla – featherweight
