Joaquin Buckley just pulled one of the weirdest stunts we’ve seen at a UFC weigh-in, going totally silent during his interview with McKenzie Pavacich ahead of UFC Fight Night 291 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This all went down Friday night after the ceremonial weigh-ins for his welterweight main event clash against Mike Malott at Rogers Place.
Mute Button Pulled: Buckley’s Bizarre Interview
After hitting the scale and going face-to-face with Malott, Buckley stepped up for his chat with UFC correspondent McKenzie Pavacich. What happened next was… nothing. Buckley went completely mute, not uttering a single word throughout the entire interview. Pavacich tried to get him going, asking about the “celebration of all the hard work” during Fight Week, how much confidence he was bringing from his third UFC main event, and what he thought the crowd would be like. Each question was met with absolute silence. “All right, I think that says more than any words could,” Pavacich eventually said, clearly thrown off. This silent treatment came right after Buckley also refused to shake UFC boss Dana White’s hand on stage, setting a super tense tone for the night.
Fans Are Roasting the “Locked In” Gimmick
You can imagine how this went over. Fans immediately started calling out the behavior, slamming it as a “clown” act and “corny.” People were quick to compare his “locked in” gimmick to what Gable Steveson or Jon Jones might do, but the general consensus was that it was a played out and disrespectful move. The online chatter is already buzzing with criticism for this odd pre-fight performance. It’s not the kind of “hype” most people are looking for, especially when it comes off as so clearly forced and, well, silent.
This whole thing has definitely cranked up the pressure on Buckley. The source article flat out said it’s “disrespectful and a played out gimmick,” and that he’s going to need to do more than just show up. For Joaquin Buckley, this isn’t just another fight. He’s going to need to put on a show and come away with a quick knockout on Saturday night. If he doesn’t, the internet is ready to unleash an “endless” wave of memes and clowning that will absolutely bury him after this stunt.
UFC Edmonton is set to kick off with the preliminary card at 5:00 p.m. ET, and then the main card gets going at 8:00 p.m. ET, featuring a lightweight scrap between Nate Landwehr and Mandel Nallo before Buckley’s main event. All eyes are going to be on Buckley, not just for his performance in the octagon, but to see if he can shut down the noise he’s already created.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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