TLDR
- Sean Brady defeated Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey
- Buckley had claimed before the fight that Brady was his “easiest” matchup and he wouldn’t need to train properly
- Brady controlled all three rounds with superior wrestling and ground control to neutralize Buckley’s striking
- Kevin Holland trolled Buckley on social media after the loss, posting clips of his pre-fight trash talk
- The defeat is Buckley’s second straight loss while Brady maintained his No. 6 welterweight ranking
Sources: Bloody Elbow | MMA Junkie | Cageside Press
Sean Brady earned a unanimous decision victory over Joaquin Buckley at UFC 328 on Saturday night in Newark, New Jersey. The welterweight bout saw Brady control all three rounds against an opponent who had predicted an easy night.
Buckley had declared before the fight that Brady was “the easiest stylistic matchup” of his career. The fighter known as “New Mansa” told media he wouldn’t even need to train properly for the contest.
“Brady Butch easy money. I ain’t gonna train for him,” Buckley said before the event. “I’ll do whatever for this fight camp, I ain’t gonna lie to you.”
Buckley even claimed he would spend his camp “sleeping, eating, and f—ing” instead of training seriously. Those words came back to haunt him as Brady dominated from start to finish.
Dominant round by Sean Brady!
[ UFC 328 | LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/W5LIOJyS4h
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2026
Brady’s Ground Control Neutralizes Buckley’s Aggression
Analysts credited Brady’s takedown defense and ground control for neutralizing Buckley’s aggressive striking style. The No. 6 ranked welterweight executed his game plan for three full rounds without giving Buckley opportunities to land his power shots.
Brady maintained his position in the welterweight rankings after the victory. Despite defeating the No. 9 ranked Buckley, the UFC did not move Brady up from his sixth spot in the official rankings.
After the fight, Brady called out top welterweight contenders in his octagon interview. He expressed confidence that he was ready for bigger challenges in the division.
The defeat marks Buckley’s second consecutive loss after falling to Kamaru Usman in his previous fight. Buckley voiced disappointment in his post-fight interview but acknowledged Brady’s superior wrestling ability.
Former Opponent Trolls Buckley on Social Media
Kevin Holland, who famously knocked out Buckley in 2020, posted footage mocking his former opponent after the loss. Holland shared a clip of Buckley’s pre-fight trash talk followed by footage of him getting controlled on the ground by Brady.
“Buckley funny asf,” Holland wrote on social media. Holland had recently rebounded from his own two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision over Randy Brown at UFC 327.
Holland’s knockout of Buckley became famous because he knocked out Buckley moments after telling him to wipe a “booger” off his nose during their 2020 fight. The two fighters have maintained a rivalry through social media exchanges.
UFC 328 took place at the Prudential Center in Newark and was headlined by Sean Strickland’s upset victory over Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight title. The main card also featured Alexander Volkov defeating Waldo Cortes-Acosta in a heavyweight bout.
Former Bellator champion Yaroslav Amosov also competed on the card, defeating Joel Alvarez by second-round submission. Amosov earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus and moved up four spots to No. 10 in the welterweight rankings.
Buckley stated after the fight that he plans to return to action quickly. His record now stands at 21-8 following back-to-back losses to top welterweight competition.
