St. Louis native Joaquin Buckley stepped up in his game since 2023 as he currently rides on a 6-fight winning streak. After dispatching veterans and stalwarts like Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington, ‘New Mansa’ is not preparing to face another veteran and former champion, Kamaru Usman. Taking place at UFC Atlanta this weekend, it will also be ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’s first fight in over a year and a half.Joaquin Buckley has amassed his 6-fight winning streak in style and dominance. The 31-year-old had four of those wins come via a devastating knockout or by technical KOs, and MMA veteran referee John McCarthy envisions big things for ‘New Mansa’ should he beat Kamaru Usman this weekend. However, there’s one major issue before Buckley in his route towards the welterweight title.Joaquin Buckley faces an issue in his quest to win the 170 lbs beltSince late 2022, following his loss to Leon Edwards via a highlight-reel knockout, Kamaru Usman appears to have lost a bit of his shine. After dropping the belt at UFC 278, he failed to regain it at UFC 286. In addition to that, Usman racked up three losses on the trot, with the last one being at UFC 294, and now, many people believe that Jaoquin Buckley could hand ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ his fourth consecutive defeat.A win would certainly help Jaoquin Buckley make a case for a title shot since Kamaru Usman is a former champion and was pretty dominant during his time at the top. As John McCarthy discussed this possibility with his co-host on the Weighing In podcast, he asked, “Joaquin Buckley is gonna be headlining the Atlanta card, right? Against Kamaru Usman. And if he gets the win against Kamaru, what’s gonna happen?” To which, Josh Thomson replied, “He’s probably next after that.”Well, John McCarthy is convinced that a win propels Joaquin Buckley into the title scene, as he further stated, “Yeah, he probably is [getting a title shot.”But then again, Josh Thomson reminded McCarthy and the viewers about the other top contenders waiting in line for a title shot, especially Sean Brady, who’s lost just once in his UFC run so far. “Well, it depends. They got chaos at the top of that shop… Sean Brady [is] kind of in that position,” Thomson added. But Brady isn’t the only one waiting in line.October 4, 2024, Salt Lake City, Ut, Salt Lake City, Ut, United States: Joaquin Buckley steps on the scale for the ceremonial weigh-ins at the Salt Palace Convention Center for UFC307 – Pereira vs Rountree Jr. on October 4, 2024 in Salt Lake City, UT, United States. /PxImages Salt Lake City, Ut United States – ZUMAp175 20241004_zsa_p175_086 Copyright: xLouisxGrassexIn fact, former lightweight champion, who never lost that belt, Islam Makhachev, appears to be next in line to fight the current champ, Jack Della Maddalena. After all, Dana White announced that after UFC 315 as the Dagestan native has a chance to surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s legacy. But, if a title shot isn’t something that awaits Joaquin Buckley if he manages to beat Kamaru Usman, there is one fight that John McCarthy feels there is a possibility of it happening. And guess what? That’s also against another contender who’s vying for a title shot as well.John McCarthy believes Joaquin Buckley could end up fighting Ian Garry nextBesides the blockbuster matchup this weekend, there are speculations about a potential welterweight showdown between Ian Garry and former champion Belal Muhammad. While it is yet to be confirmed by an official source, ‘The Future’ has already sent a message to ‘Remember the Name’ as a warning about what could happen to him if they are to fight each other. While the community is speculating about that fight, John McCarthy has come out to claim that he believes Buckley could ultimately end up fighting Garry in the future, and he has a good reason for that.You see, Joaquin Buckley and Ian Garry cannot stand each other and have a history of heated altercations. They’ve traded personal insults and even engaged in a heated confrontation at UFC Kansas City that took place this past April. As such, John McCarthy claimed, “I can definitely see Buckley and Garry… because Buckley has already called him out,” to Josh Thomson.Well, who knows what happens next? For sure, this is the most important fight in Joaquin Buckley’s career, and he would look to make a statement, as he’s been doing in his past fights, and make a strong case for getting a title shot. What do you think? Drop your comments below.The post Joaquin Buckley Faces Roadblock on Islam Makhachev Dream Amid Kamaru Usman Fight at UFC Atlanta appeared first on EssentiallySports.