Alex Pereira accused of rejecting fight with welterweight who holds one of the greatest knockouts of all time

Joaquin Buckley recalls failed Alex Pereira battle

Fast rising to top contender status at 170lbs recently, St. Louis striker Joaquin Buckley claims he was presented with the chance to face Pereira during his initial rise to middleweight title stardom in 2022.

Suffering a short-notice drop out in opponent, Buckley recalled a phone call from his then-manager, offering him the chance to share the Octagon with future two-weight champion Pereira.

And as far as Buckley is concerned, he was ready, willing and able to fight Pereira — and even knock the decorated striker unconscious.

“He (Alex Pereira) wasn’t able to take the fight because they said they wouldn’t be ready in time,” Buckley said when revealing the fight offer in a video on his YouTube channel. “I was planning on knocking that man out.”

Beginning his own Octagon run in less-than-ideal circumstances, it did not take Buckley long, however, to become a household name in combat sports.

Joaquin Buckley’s record-breaking knockout on ‘Fight Island’

Debuting in a memorable third-round loss to the always-active Kevin Holland, welterweight contender Buckley would suffer his second loss in his four most recent walks to the cage.

However, booked against future PFL (Professional Fighters League) star Impa Kasanganay five years ago, Buckley launched one of the most innovative knockouts of all time.

Reacting to a miscued kick attempt, which Kasanganay caught, Buckley spun free, scoring a hellacious back kick knockout.

Earning a staggering 17.8 million views on the UFC’s official Instagram account, the clip became the most viewed video ever posted on the promotion’s social media channel.