The UFC's Joaquin Buckley Finds Jake Paul Fights "Embarrassing"

Who is The UFC's Joaquin Buckley Finds Jake Paul Fights "Embarrassing"?

Taken from MMA Show 132 w/Joaquin Buckley:

Topics and Timestamps

• 01Joaquin Buckley discusses why Jake Paul's boxing matches feel like a mockery of combat sports
• 02UFC fighter critiques the entertainment value versus legitimacy in celebrity boxing
• 03Buckley shares his perspective on fighting real opponents versus fighting influencers
• 04Conversation explores the difference between combat sports athletes and crossover celebrities
• 05Discussion about what makes fights meaningful versus what's just spectacle
• 06Buckley reflects on his own fighting journey and approach to the sport
• ▶Buckley explains why Jake Paul fights feel embarrassing to the combat sports community0:00:00
• ▶Discussion about the difference between real fighting and celebrity boxing spectacle0:00:00
• ▶Buckley reflects on what it takes to be a legitimate combat athlete0:00:00
• ▶Conversation about entertainment versus athletic integrity in modern fighting0:00:00
• ▶Buckley's perspective on how celebrity boxing affects the perception of real combat sports0:00:00

The Show

In this episode of the MMA Show, Joaquin Buckley opens up about his take on Jake Paul's boxing career and why he finds it embarrassing for combat sports. The UFC fighter doesn't hold back when discussing how celebrity boxing matches have become more about entertainment spectacle than actual athletic competition. Buckley's perspective comes from someone who's dedicated his life to fighting real opponents in the octagon, so when he watches Jake Paul cash checks against non-boxers, it clearly rubs him the wrong way.

The conversation dives into what separates legitimate combat athletes from influencers who've crossed over into fighting. Buckley respects the grind of real fighters who've put in thousands of hours training, sparring, and competing against quality opponents. That's fundamentally different from someone who leverages their social media following to fight people who have no business being in a ring with them. Joe and Joaquin explore how these Jake Paul fights have become less about fighting and more about the circus surrounding it, the pay-per-view numbers, and the celebrity beef that gets manufactured for promotion.

What stands out in this discussion is Buckley's genuine passion for fighting as a sport versus fighting as entertainment. He's not being judgmental in a bitter way, he's just calling out what he sees as a dilution of combat sports. These fights feel hollow to him because there's no real sporting integrity involved. It's all marketing and hype with predetermined outcomes that favor whoever has the bigger check backing them. For someone like Buckley who fights top-tier competition in the UFC, watching Jake Paul content must feel like watching a video game on easy mode while people treat it like the Super Bowl.

Best Quotes