Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley headline Tampa Fight Night

While Machado Garry has long been considered a future title contender, Buckley is arguably the hottest 170-pounder outside the top 5. “New Mansa” first burst onto the scene in October 2020 with a memorable knockout against Impa Kasanganay and spent his first two years on the roster in middleweight. Along the way, he compiled a 5-4 record, including four performance bonuses. After suffering two consecutive losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis through the end of 2022, the St. Louis native decided to move down to welterweight.

Buckley immediately thrived at 170 pounds, picking up five wins in five outings in the weight class, including knockout victories over Vicente Luque and, most recently at UFC 307, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. The 30-year-old challenged former welterweight king Kamaru Usman following his stunning result in Salt Lake City, but a fourth win in 2024 and a third victory over a top-15 welterweight would do wonders for his title hopes in 2025.