Buckley knows his next fight is a big one and that he’ll be fighting in hostile territory against Imavov, who trains out of the MMA Factory in Paris. And even though he’ll likely be on the receiving end of some heckling on Saturday, Buckley is confident that he’ll win the Accor Arena crowd over by night’s end.
“It’s only natural, because when they hear France, they’re going to cheer and when they hear the opposite they’re going to boo,” Buckley said. “But when I do what I do, and I go out there and dominate, and I show people how great I am, and I put on a performance they’ll never forget, they’ll stand and cheer. They’ll be like, ‘Joaquin needs to come back to Paris.’ It’ll be my night.”
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Imavov has quickly ascended the middleweight ladder thanks to statement wins over Ian Heinisch and Edmen Shahbazyan. Those two earned Imavov the No. 12 spot in the division. A spot that Buckley came all the way across the pond to claim.
“I think he’s done enough to do what he’s doing. If he’s happy to be No. 12 in the world that’s cool, but we’re coming to take that number away from him. And regardless, my biggest thing is becoming a world champion,” Buckley said. “No matter what he’s done or what he thinks he’s going to do, I’m here to do one thing and one thing only, and that’s become a world champion. He’s in the way, so I have to get him out of there.”
Buckley is expecting Imavov to have a little extra motivation to put on a show in front of a pro-French crowd, but if he’s being honest, he doesn’t think it’ll change the intensity or tactics that Imavov will bring to the Octagon.
