Joaquin Buckley Squares Off with Antonio Arroyo at Sept. 18 UFC Card

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It’s knock out or get knocked out with this upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight tilt in September.

The news first came from MMA Junkie on Thursday, reporting that Joaquin Buckley (12-4) would be taking on Antonio Arroyo (9-4) at middleweight at the promotion’s Sept. 18 UFC Fight Night event. The news has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Owner of one of the most spectacular knockouts in UFC history, a spinning back kick to demolish Impa Kasanganay in October 2020, Buckley followed it up with a crushing finish of the then-undefeated Jordan Wright a month later. In his last performance, Alessio Di Chirico starched him with a head kick to end his spectacular winning streak. As a pro, the Finney’s Hit Squad product out of Missouri possesses a career knockout rate of 75 percent – although 75 percent of his losses have also come due to strikes.

Coming into this fight on a two-fight skid is Brazil’s Arroyo, who joined the promotion off of a pair of wins on Dana White's Contender Series in 2018 and 2019. His debut against Andre Muniz did not go his way, nor did his sophomore effort against Deron Winn, as Arroyo lost both by unanimous verdict. Arroyo has never been knocked out by a pro, while he sports a finish rate of 89 percent in his own right.

The unnumbered UFC Fight Night event on Sept. 18 takes place inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with a light heavyweight headliner pitting Anthony Smith against Ryan Spann. Other key matchups on the card include a light heavyweight clash between Tafon Nchukwi and Mike Rodriguez, while Ion Cutelaba takes on Devin Clark also at light heavyweight. Additionally, a bantamweight battle between Heili Alateng and Gustavo Lopez serves as a newly announced matchup on the card.