The Daniel Cormier Show - Joaquin Buckley on Islam Makhachev comments, Sean Brady fight, Prates TKO

Summary

Podcast Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: The Daniel Cormier Show - Joaquin Buckley on Islam Makhachev comments, Sean Brady fight, Prates TKO
Date: May 9, 2026
Host: Daniel Cormier
Guest: Joaquin Buckley
Main Theme:
In this deeply insightful episode, Daniel Cormier sits down with UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley for an unvarnished conversation about Buckley’s recent career choices, reflections on past fights, mental preparation, and his position in a stacked division aiming for a world title. The discussion delves into his thoughts on opponents, strategy, and candid takes on current and potential matchups—including Islam Makhachev, Sean Brady, and Carlos Prates.

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1. Buckley’s Recent Career and Time Off

Timestamps: 06:41 – 09:40

• Buckley’s State of Mind:
  After time off from the octagon, Buckley describes reconnecting with himself and approaching this as his moment to shine.
  • “I feel like, you know, this is my time to shine.” (07:12 - Buckley)
• Training with Kamaru Usman:
  He briefly trained with Usman, and the key takeaway was simple but effective—
  • “…the major thing I feel like I got from Ooze, man, is just how to move like a champ… I’m gonna take with me 100% buck.” (07:43 - Buckley)
• Reflections after Loss:
  Buckley is candid about needing to “clear up things outside the octagon” before focusing on fighting again, learning to make fighting the main thing in his life.
  • “My biggest reflection from that, man is to make sure that I make fighting the main thing.” (09:38 - Buckley)

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2. Evolution of Training and Team Philosophy

Timestamps: 09:40 – 12:18

• “Non-Traditional” Camp:
  Buckley explains he never had a mainstream training camp or consistent team, especially compared with fighters at large gyms.
  • “My camp has always been special... But I don't have a traditional team like these other fighters have, in these massive gyms…” (10:08 - Buckley)
  • Often trains on his own in St. Louis, missing out on common amenities like diverse training partners and support staff.
• Biggest Recent Change:
  • Now working with coach Jeff Henry, finally able to “just allow somebody else to come up with a system.”
    • “I’ve really been able just to sit back and just allow somebody else to come up with a system… instead of that being… dependent on me.” (11:10 - Buckley)
• Mindless Training:
  • Daniel Cormier equates this to former UFC star Josh Koscheck’s “mindless training”—letting coaches shape and mold you.

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3. Sean Brady Matchup & Observations

Timestamps: 12:18 – 16:40

• Fight Announcement Reaction:
  Buckley is excited—“The person I’m competing against, stylistically, for me, is the best person I can go up against.” (12:53)
• Analyzing Brady’s Recent Losses:
  Buckley is skeptical of Sean Brady’s mentality against Michael Morales and how that might impact their upcoming fight:
  • “To me, Sean Brady didn’t want that fight with Michael Morales... when you ain’t there and you trying to prevent yourself from getting knocked out, usually that’s how you lead to getting knocked out a lot of times.” (13:51 - Buckley)
• Buckley Downplays Intimidation:
  Despite his physicality, Buckley jokes about being “the softest dude on the roster.” (15:10 - Buckley)

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4. Buckley and the Welterweight Title Picture

Timestamps: 15:21 – 16:40; 19:02 – 26:12

• Division is on Fire:
  Cormier lists surging contenders (Michael Morales, Ian Garry, Carlos Prates) and places Buckley in context.
  • “Do I feel like I’m in the mix with those three names? Yeah, of course. The Ian Gary’s, the Carlos Protest, and the Mike Morales. We’re going to see each other.” (16:04 - Buckley)
• Acknowledges Work Needed:
  Buckley is aware he needs to earn his mention among top contenders—“That’s the work that I gotta put in just a little bit harder.” (16:04 - Buckley)

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5. Candid Comments on Islam Makhachev & Championship Opportunities

Timestamps: 19:02 – 24:03

• Addressing Comments about Islam:
  Buckley clarifies his outlook on the lightweight champ:
  • “When I spoke about Islam and having the easiest matchup that he can get, obviously it was JDM… Islam is a, it has definitely proven himself. So it’s not the fact that you know him winning the belt, but it’s against who he did it against.” (19:05 - Buckley)
• On Missed Title Opportunity:
  Buckley recaps hearing his name in the “war room” as a possible title contender but shrugs off disappointment:
  • “Who cares?... Because it’s not my time. Because even then, right? Usman, he still beat me, right?... it just showed me it was another hole in my game where Islam could have pretended…” (20:22 - Buckley)
• On Championship Grappling:
  Acknowledges that beating Islam requires top-tier wrestling defense:
  • “If you stop the initial shots and if you are able to stay and keep the fight on the feet… that’s the puzzle. That’s what you gotta solve.” (23:02 - Buckley)

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6. Fight IQ, Strategy, and Division Analysis

Timestamps: 24:03 – 25:50

• Strickland vs. Chimaev Analysis:
  Buckley predicts the importance of backing up Khamzat early:
  • “If Sean is looking for the ability to win this fight, he gonna have to back up Khamzat 100%.” (25:13 - Buckley)
• Cormier Praises Buckley’s Growth:
  Cormier notes Buckley now seems “to be forming things the right way now more than you may have in the past.” (24:03 - Cormier)

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7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Adversity & Growth:
  “I told you, man, I’m just here to compete now… I needed that time off, but just really showed me how much I need to be in the octagon.” (16:04 - Buckley)
• Cormier on Buckley’s Role:
  “You showing up, you’re the vessel, you let them form that vessel…” (12:18 - Cormier)
• Buckley’s Confidence:
  “I finally kind of see my place, right? And only place I see, bro, is me having that belt, you know, having that title.” (09:09 - Buckley)

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Episode Flow Overview

• 06:41–09:40 – Buckley’s time off, mental reset, working with Usman
• 09:40–12:18 – Buckley’s coaching, training evolution
• 12:18–16:40 – Sean Brady analysis, fighting style, divisional peers
• 19:02–24:03 – Candid take on Islam Makhachev, divisions, missed opportunities
• 24:03–25:50 – Strategic breakdown of Strickland vs. Chimaev, future matchups

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Conclusion

This episode offers an unfiltered look at a fighter determined to make the leap to contender status. Joaquin Buckley is transparent about his struggles, learning process, team evolution, and mindset—key for both fans and those interested in the psychology of elite fighters. Cormier’s seasoned guidance brings out honest answers and a focus on the gritty realities of MMA. Buckley's humility, drive, and analysis make this a compelling listen for anyone following the UFC welterweight division.

Transcript

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[Daniel Cormier]

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[Daniel Cormier]

the volume. What's up, Joaquin? How you doing, man?

[Joaquin Buckley]

And we back to it, man. Yeah, in Newark.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, it's been a minute since, since you've been in the octagon. Also been a minute since we chatted. Obviously you and I had some conversations off the record since then, man. Very, very productive conversations. How you feeling with everything, man?

[Joaquin Buckley]

I'm feeling good, man. Speaking about this conversation, bro, you know, linked up with you, man. It was a great conversation, bro. And I feel like, you know, I just needed some time off, man. And now that I'm back, you know, and you know, being able to work with certain guys like Usman and everything of that nature, it's just, I mean, I feel like, you know, this is my time to shine.

[Daniel Cormier]

How did that. How did that come to pass? You guys fight in the last fight, then I saw y' all on his podcast, kind of chatting. I didn't know that you guys worked together, though, while you were down there. How long did you stay down there? What did you guys do specifically?

[Joaquin Buckley]

It was. It was a short time, man. And, you know, it was. It was. It was like, you know, I think more than anything, it was just a little gems that he gave me about just, you know, just the basics. Right? You know what I mean? Just where to move from and how to control the hips, man, and really be able to, you know, control the situation, no matter what positions that you in. But the. The major thing I feel like I got from Ooze, man, is just how to move like a champ, you know? And that right there, man, I'm take with me 100% buck.

[Daniel Cormier]

When you. When you go into that fight with Kamara, you on, like, a long winded streak. This would seem to be the fight that would propel you into a championship opportunity, right? When that fight happens and you go back afterwards and you're reflecting, what is the first thing that you take from it? Because I'll tell you one thing, you know, you and I talked after that, I expected you with all the muscle to fatigue. You didn't fatigue. You fought through everything that was going on in that fight, and honestly, you showed a lot of championship qualities. But when you went back and you had to reflect, what was the first thing and the most important thing you took from that fight?

[Joaquin Buckley]

The biggest thing, the reflection to me, is, first off, Usman won. He did his thing, but I think it's a lot of things that I had to take care of outside the octagon, and now that I got all those things, you know, cleared up, you know, I'm not fighting another fight, you know what I'm saying? Before I step into.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yep, yep, yep.

[Joaquin Buckley]

You know, so being able to clear up those things, man, been able to just really kind of dive in and to really kind of figure out what my place is in this organization, this massive organization now, which is the ufc. And I finally kind of see my place, right? And only place I see, bro, is me having that belt, you know, having that title. And the only way that I can get towards that is by constantly competing. Constantly competing. And that's what. That's what I'm on right now. So my biggest reflection from that, man is to make sure that I make fighting the main thing.

[Daniel Cormier]

You know, when you. When you were looking at your career and Going forward, you said you wanted to do all those things that you needed to do. Training, training, doing some different things in training, just making sure that you are putting yourself in the best situations. Has anything changed in that sense in terms of different preparation? Are you still training with the same team? Like, what is, what does this time away look like for Joaquin Buckley?

[Joaquin Buckley]

I mean, I could really get down to the gritty, right? My camp has always been special and I can never just say I never had a team, right? But I don't have a traditional teams like, you know, these other fighters have, you know, in these massive gyms where they pretty much have everything handed to fighters, right? Not even just with the coaches, but with the teammates and partners that you have from all different sizes and all different weight classes. But maybe the recovery that they might have there, you know, and the different elements from, you know, boxing and jiu jitsu and, you know, wrestling and all those things, I don't have, I didn't have those things for the longest time. And, you know, being able to transition over and coming back to St. Louis, right, we don't have a lot of fighters that stay in St. Louis, right, to train and to, you know, do what I'm doing, which is yet again on a world class level and become a world champ. Right now I'm building, right? So I tell guys I'm building brick by brick. But I realized a lot of things that even got me to this point, bro, was just the hard work, you know what I mean? Like that, that, what you say, that championship mentality. And a lot of people, when they do see me, right, because I, you know, I'm massive, right? You know, I mean, they see pretty much the, the muscles that I have. You know, a lot of people assume, right, I get tired. But, you know, you know, be honest with you, I think I got one of the best Cardios out there, you know, especially when it comes to the type of way that I train, when I do 10 rounds or when I do 11, 12 rounds doing certain things, no matter if it's wrestling, no matter if it's boxing or just overall cardio work. So the preparation still has been the same. I think the only thing that's different, I've been able to work with my guy, Jeff Henry, which is the first time I can really say I had a real MMA coach. A real MMA coach. Like, it's crazy to say that right after being fighting for so. But I've been doing my own thing for a long time and I've really been able just to sit back and just allow somebody else to come up with a system, Allow somebody else to really kind of, you know, do a deep dive on exactly what we need to work on every single day instead of that being, you know, dependent on me, you know. So I would say the major change is me allowing my coach to be a coach and dial in with everything. For the past 11 months, Josh Koscheck

[Daniel Cormier]

used to say something called mindless training, where you show up, you're the vessel, you let them form that vessel, and when they form that vessel, a lot of times because of their experiences, you're much better for it. Now you fight Shawn Brady this weekend. You were on a six fight win streak before the last fight when you got the call that it was Sean Brady. That has to feel good, right? Because you just fought a former champion, and while it may not have gone the right way, he's still one of the top contenders. And with a victory over him, it just puts you right back in line with what you were hoping to get before, possibly, right?

[Joaquin Buckley]

Definitely. My mind is always on that title, but I'm just looking to compete and I feel like, you know, the person I'm competing against, stylistically, for me, is the best person I can go up against, you know. So with that being said, it's just thankful, man, for the ufc, man, for putting this fight, you know what I mean, my way and ready just to do what I do best, right? And that's go out there and put on the show.

[Daniel Cormier]

What did you make of his last few performances? Obviously, they have not been what he would have wanted, but the Michael Morales fight was almost shocking in the way that it did. But did. Can you take anything from that? Because you're a guy that possesses that type of power too.

[Joaquin Buckley]

No, I can't. You know, this is the crazy part. I tell guys, you know, I'm big on mental, I'm big on mental, right? To me, Sean Brady didn't want that fight with Michael Morales. But.

[Daniel Cormier]

But why, though? Why Buck? Why do you think he didn't want that fight?

[Joaquin Buckley]

Just because, you know, you know, when you see Michael Morales, man, he's an intimidating person, you know, very massive, you know what I mean? Not small at all, you know, and when you undefeated and he knocking out everybody, right, you know, that's intimidating, you know, and especially when, you know that you never knock nobody on the feet, you know, it definitely can be a little brutal, right, Mentally. But don't get it twisted. To me, I think Sean Brady could have beat him if he didn't beat himself mentally, you know, because he did have the tools to beat Michael Morales, you know, but when you ain't there and you trying to prevent yourself from getting knocked out, usually that's how you lead to getting knocked out a lot of times.

[Daniel Cormier]

And this is you're intimidating, but you're intimidating too. You just said about the muscle and everything, but you're an intimidating fighter. Do you think though, because of what happened in the last fight, Shawn Brady, while you expect him to be his best. Listen, I think that posture and your size and your ability in a fight takes a part in that fight also. I always tell people you could beat people with your presence at time by being right in their face and pressing them and reminding them of what happened last time. Can Sean Brady be the same guy that he was going to into the fight prior to those fights that haven't gone his way?

[Joaquin Buckley]

I think he's going to be confident for multiple reasons, you know what I mean? But yeah, yeah, I'm not intimidating at all, man. I'm the softest dude on the roster. Softest guy.

[Daniel Cormier]

Your division right now is on fire. You win this fight in impressive fashion, you can put yourself on the short list of people that could potentially challenge the champion, Islam Makhachev for the belt. But then you have the Michael Morales, you have the Ian Garry, and now you have Carlos Protest, who looked amazing last week against Jack De la Maddalena. Where do you fit into all of this? Do you fit into a fight with a victory against one of those guys? Because that is kind of surprising, right? All those names, even when you were on that six fight win streak, you didn't necessarily seem to be mentioned, aligned with them as much as you probably should have.

[Joaquin Buckley]

And it's okay, you know, is that, that, that's the work that I gotta put in just a little bit harder. But do I, do I feel like I'm in the mix with those three names? Yeah, of course. The Ian Gary's, the Carlos Protest and the Mike Morales. We're going to see each other. We all going to see each other. You know what I mean? I would rather it be for a belt, but even if it's not, you know, I told you, man, I'm just here to compete now, you know, so I'm blessed to have the opportunity that I had off. You know, as much as I really did want to compete, I needed that time off, but just really showed me how much I need to be in the Octagon. I need to be, you know, for my own personal reason, yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

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[Joaquin Buckley]

Yeah, 100%.

[Daniel Cormier]

Is that what you're trying to do?

[Joaquin Buckley]

No, I'm not trying to do nothing. I'm not trying to do nothing because at the end of the day, you know, we don't control those things. And, and unfortunately, right now, you know, the fans, they got their own idea who they want to see, you know, and to be honest with you, I just give it to how I see it, right? Just so these are just all my opinions, so it don't make it fact for sure. But when I spoke about Islam and having the easiest matchup that he can get, obviously it was jdm, because how you go from winning the belt, right? Obviously, right. Islam is a. It has definitely proven himself. So it's not the fact that you know him winning the belt, but it's against who he did it against, right. I can't really put much to. Because it was the easiest matchup that he can get at the time. But now we see JDM off another L as bad, even worse, to be honest, when he lost the title, right? So it's just like jdm. No disrespect to him, but when he got the title shot, he was hurt like he had gotten that his forearm broken by Gilbert Burns, right. You know what I mean? And he had a staph infection and all these different things. And to be honest with you, I was like, bet, like, if this fight fall off between Shaqat and Bilal, they gotta call me. That's what I'm thinking in my head. They gotta call me. And that's crazy. I remember when I was listening to the fight between Bilal and jdm, you kind of announced. They had a conversation in the war room and Buckley name came up. But the fight just came into fruition and I was just like, dad, I wonder why, you know what I mean? But the thing is though, who cares? You know what I mean? Because it's not my time. Because even then, right? Usman, he still beat me, right? If I had a world title, if I got that belt, whatever, it just showed me it was another hole in my game where Islam could have pretended now he would never had me crying now, I tell you that.

[Daniel Cormier]

Hey, let me ask you this though, Bucky. Say this, bro. I love Jack. I love Jack. But Jack don't really lose good man. Because last week he said ah, like in the R coach. Like, don't say ah. Yeah, don't say yeah, Islam to like, oh, this hurts. Like his protest. Like, yo, he don't be losing good. I'll be feeling bad. I'll be feeling bad for Jack. When he, when he, like, when it's not going his way, you'll be feeling bad for him. Even. Even Brisbane. Like, yo, this is actually kind of hard to watch.

[Joaquin Buckley]

Yeah, it is hard to watch. No, it was. It was starting to get hard to watch, man. But with all that being said, Though, like, this division is very talented and we already know that, right? And a lot of guys that get that belt don't keep it long or in a number one contender series, they back down to number six, number five, whatever, you know. So it's just telling you how lethal this division is right now. But I feel like the three guys, I feel like I didn't had opportunities with one of them, which is Ian Gary and a potential fight which could have happened between me and Protest. And I thought me and Michael Morales was going to fight before him and Shawn Brady, but it never happened. So I feel like everything is kind of just meshing together just, you know, how it should right now.

[Daniel Cormier]

But also in hindsight, now, to Islam's credit, right, Jack had just defended a whole bunch of takedowns from Bilal. So it seemed like it would potentially be a tougher fight, right, because Balal can wrestle.

[Joaquin Buckley]

But you know, out of all people, though, it's levels to everything, right? It's levels to everything. And Bilal, hey, tremendous, you know, and was a great champ, you know, while it lasted as well. I feel like he is not the same pedigree when it comes to just the pure grappling. You know, he was a smart fighter. Bala is a smart fighter that can take the fight where it needs to go. But even Ian Garry, he spoke about the same thing. Like, oh, I was able to stop every one of Bilal shots. So that's why, you know, me going against Islam is going to be different, right? He's not going to be able to take me down. But you can't look at it there, brother. You know it to me.

[Daniel Cormier]

So you think that's a little bit of a mistake by Gary, right? Like trying to proven by the Jack Della Madalina fight.

[Joaquin Buckley]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Right, exactly. Right. So my thing is the, the most, the simplest thing that you can do is a room full of wrestlers. Room full of wrestlers, man. And it's crazy how like people don't understand that, like you really have to get in there with world class guys or just even collegiate guys, you know what I mean? And just, and just work with them full time. And I understand that Islam has other threats besides, you know, just the wrestling he has, the, what is it, Sambo, you know, almost judo. And then, you know, obviously if you're getting that jiu jitsu, right, and, and put on your back. He definitely a handful because what he got, he got, he got that vice grip, you know, I mean, he, when he got you, he got you. But I feel like if you stop the initial shots and if you are able to stay and keep the fight on the feet, which protest would need to do. Michael Morales would need to do, Ian Gary would need to do. Even myself, I have to say that even myself, if I fought Islam, I would have to keep it on the feet. It's keeping it on the feet, right? Yeah. That's the puzzle. That's what you got to solve. How do I stay on my feet?

[Daniel Cormier]

Well, you having all this conversation about the champion on the verge of a big fight, it really will, if you can win in the way that you hope to win on Saturday, propel you into the conversation about what's next for the champion. Because Islam, I know him personally, is not a guy that likes to ignore when things are coming his way, obviously. Look, we have Chimaev and Strickland this weekend based on Sean after he won in Houston. What do you make of that, though? Like, you see those guys this week. I can also tell you, hearing your answers on Bilal and Jack, I can see in your mind working. That's like you're trying to form things the right way now more than you may have in the past. I'm just telling you that. What do you think of this, the Strickland Chamayev situation?

[Joaquin Buckley]

I think it's a beautiful fight for. For both of them. You know, obviously, man, there's a lot of build up and there's a lot of noise, you know, in between. But you know me, I'm more focused on what happens in that. In that octagon. And I'm not gonna lie, you know, Sean Strickland showed out against Anthony Hernandez, you know, and he put him out, you know, good, good body shot, good knee to the body and. And finished Anthony Hernandez. Was it. Was it later? I think it was like three rounds.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, it was a little later. Yeah, a few rounds.

[Joaquin Buckley]

And so that just shows, like, Sean still just, you know, got a good tank, right? Good conditioning. But with Hamza, right, you know, we already know the powerhouse that he is, you know, and how dominant he is when he gets in the positions that he wants to get in. So if I'm Sean Strickland, right, I'm trying to get. Well, you already know Hamza, he gonna shoot in the first 10 seconds. So I'm rush that shot out of, you know, if I'm Sean Strickland and really kind of put Hamza on his heels because I really haven't seen Hamzat being backed up before, you know. So if Sean is looking for the ability to win this fight, he gonna have to back up Khamzat 100%.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. Well, Joaquin Buckley, that is massive. Your fight this weekend is massive, guys. Joaquin Buckley takes on Sean Brady this weekend at UFC328. Make sure you tune in because this dude is always involved in tremendous fights. He's going to be sick. From Newark, New Jersey and I cannot wait to get there. Buckley, thank you for checking in again, my brother. I appreciate it, man. And see you this weekend.

[Sean Duffy]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

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[Daniel Cormier]

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[Podcast Host]

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