TLDR
- Joaquin Buckley called out five UFC fighters for using the N-word, including Max Holloway and Alexander Volkov
- Buckley challenged them to say the slur at an all-black club from the DJ booth with no security
- Sean Strickland responded by comparing Buckley to a ‘black Karen’ and questioning his tax returns
- Alexander Volkov mocked the challenge, asking why he should go to an all-black club
- The controversy started with Buckley confronting Josh Hokit and Dustin Poirier over the racial slur
Sources: sherdog.com | sports.yahoo.com | mmasucka.com
UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley has expanded his criticism of fighters using the N-word, adding two more names to his growing list of callouts. The 21-9 fighter recently named Max Holloway and Alexander Volkov in a social media post.
Buckley’s campaign began when he confronted Josh Hokit and Dustin Poirier over their use of the racial slur. He later confronted Sean Strickland in person about the same issue.
In his latest Instagram post, Buckley claimed that Holloway used the word casually while Volkov appeared in a video saying it with his teammates. He issued a specific challenge to all five fighters.
Joaquin Buckley responded to Dustin Poirier after he called out Poirier for the airport incident
🗣️ Poirier: “Shut up or k*ll me!”
🗣️ Buckley: “Not that long ago that’s what you wanted to do to yourself. Delete yourself. When I see you, let’s talk about it. You take the first… pic.twitter.com/CZFZ9XRhrR
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 4, 2026
“Hokit, Sean Strickland, Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkov, all of them boys having a field day, having fun with this word,” Buckley said. “I won’t bring up the race card no more if they’re able to go to an all-black club, get in the DJ booth with no security, and shout out, ‘What’s up my n*gga?'”
Buckley added that he would stop speaking out if enough people in the black community stopped caring about the issue. He said he would “shut the f*ck up” if the fighters could complete his challenge.
Strickland and Volkov Fire Back
Sean Strickland responded to Buckley’s challenge with his own dare. He bet that Buckley would never actually say the word in a club himself.
“I bet you won’t go to the club and say N,” Strickland commented on the post. “I bet you won’t go to the IRS and show them your tax returns… What’s a black Karen? This man has channeled it.”
Alexander Volkov took a different approach, questioning the entire premise of Buckley’s challenge. The heavyweight fighter asked why he would go to an all-black club in the first place.
“No judgment, with all respect for all nations. But why should I go to an all-black club?” Volkov wrote. “Can anyone explain… Is it more fun there?”
Buckley Also Criticized Arlovski
Buckley has also joined other fighters in criticizing Andrei Arlovski over recent comments about the late Anthony Johnson. Arlovski faced backlash after saying he was “a winner anyway” because Johnson is dead and he is alive.
The comments came during an interview where Arlovski discussed their 2013 fight, which Johnson won by unanimous decision. Johnson broke Arlovski’s jaw in two places during the bout.
Buckley posted a video expressing his admiration for Johnson, calling him an inspiration for his knockout fighting style. “Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, baby. That’s the man right there that inspired me to be the knockout artist that I’m,” Buckley said.
He questioned whether Arlovski’s comment was meant as a joke but suggested it revealed deeper issues. “It just shows you the lack of respect they have for us to even consider to even come out and say something like that,” Buckley stated.
Arlovski later apologized for his comments, explaining he had battled cancer three times and was trying to express gratitude for being alive. He said English being his second language sometimes made it difficult to express his thoughts clearly.
The former heavyweight champion specifically apologized to Johnson’s family and loved ones in an Instagram post. He clarified that Johnson won their 2013 fight and nothing would change that result.
