Joaquin Buckley’s last loss in MMA came in brutal fashion when he stepped into the cage with Sean Strickland’s teammate. This Saturday, Joaquin Buckley takes on his toughest and most important test to date when he clashes against former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta.

Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) relinquished his UFC lightweight title after a record four title defenses for a move up to 170 pounds. He is expected to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title later in the year.

Joaquin Buckley knows he might be two fights away from a UFC title shot thanks to Islam Makhachev's move to welterweight.