Which Gym Does UFC’s Joaquin Buckley Train At? Who Are His Coaches?

Welterweight star Joaquin Buckley is stepping up in competition as he faces former interim champion Colby Covington this weekend at UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa. Having started his professional career a decade ago, it’s been a long, hard grind for the Louisville native to make it to the UFC’s top 10 welterweight list. But things can get better for ‘New Mansa’ if he edges past ‘Chaos’ and gets himself a step closer to his title aspirations.

Buckley was having a bit of a rough patch in 2022 when he saw two back-to-back defeats. However, he made some effective changes to his game plan, and some of that credit has to go to his coaches and his team. As he sets up for his fight this weekend, we’ll take a look at the gyms and coaches that took Buckley from an orphan in Missouri to being a ranked fighter in the UFC.

What gym does Joaquin Buckley train at?

Like many of his American counterparts, Joaquin Buckley started his martial arts journey in high school. Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri without his parents, ‘New Mansa’ found wrestling and took a liking to it. After trying his hand at wrestling, the now 30-year-old found his calling in combat sports and started to train in mixed martial arts while he was still in school.

The Missouri native decided to take the leap and started his professional MMA career straight after graduating at the now-defunct Shamrock FC on debut. During his early days, the fighter used to train at Finney’s MMA in St. Louis, Missouri but decided to change things up after he joined the UFC in 2020. Buckley joined the Murcielago MMA gym in Lansing, Michigan. Moreover, Buckley even trained at the famed Xtreme Couture MMA gym in Las Vegas.

Coming with a five-fight winning streak, Joaquin Buckley is hoping for a big win over former interim champion, Colby Covington, this weekend to elevate himself to fight for the belt soon. There’s no doubt that he’s pulling all the stops for this high-stakes bout with his coaches and his teammates.

Who are Joaquin Buckley’s coaches and teammates

UFC fighters are top-level athletes, and there’s no less of that in Joaquin Buckley’s camp. Under coach Joaquin Murcielago, the 30-year-old trains with the likes of Khaos Williams, former UFC fighter Dequan Townsend, and Charles Johnson. Together, these fighters are called the ‘Murcie Fighters’. In addition to that, the 20-6 welterweight’s stint at Xtreme Couture happened under the tutelage of head coach Tim Welch, who trained the likes of Sean O’Malley, Sean Strickland, and Francis Ngannou.

“Vegas going to be a regular stop. I meshed real good with Eric Nicksick, the head coach at Xtreme Couture — he’s good folks — so I definitely see us working together in the future for sure,” Joaquin Buckley told UFC back in 2020. Meanwhile, the first few teammates from Buckley’s time in Finney’s MMA didn’t make it to the UFC, and the gym doesn’t have too many professional fighters active in MMA today.

Coming back to gus upcoming fight this weekend, Joaquin Buckley may be heading with momentum and a bit of confidence on his side given that he’s on a winning streak and Colby Covington’s coming off a loss. However, anything can happen in MMA so let us know your prediction for the welterweight main event in Tampa.