James Krause claims he’s requested Joaquin Buckley fight twice, manager responds

James Krause says he’s requested a matchup with surging UFC middleweight prospect Joaquin Buckley on two separate occasions.

After consecutive highlight reel knockouts of Impa Kasanganay and Jordan Wright, Buckley is one of the hottest prospects in MMA at present. Krause, however, isn’t impressed by the middleweight, and has made no secret of that fact, repeatedly sharing criticisms on social media and in interviews.

Krause’s trash talk ultimately got the attention of Buckley, who welcomed the opportunity to settle their differences in the Octagon after his knockout win over Wright. Yet the matchup still hasn’t come to fruition.

According to Krause, that’s not for lack of trying.

Speaking on Instagram on Wednesday, Krause claimed he has twice requested a fight with Buckley, and that the ball is now in his rival’s court.

 

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“I’ve asked for the fight twice now,” Krause wrote in the caption for an Instagram post targeting Buckley. “Nobody else from my team is fighting you. It’s me or move the f**k on. If they want the fight tell them to send me a contract. If not, I’m done talking about it.”

Speaking to MMA Fighting, Buckley’s manager Brian Butler responded to this claim from Krause. He emphasized that Krause is a welterweight, and that fighting him would do little for Buckley in terms of advancing through the middleweight rankings.

“Joaquin has his eyes set on climbing the middleweight division,” Butler wrote. “From a ‘fighter’ standpoint, Joaquin is ready to stop talking and settle it on sight. James is a great fighter and a 16x UFC vet, but he is also a welterweight. That being said, fighting James does nothing to advance Joaquin in the [middleweight] division.

“This fight very well may happen at some point but the UFC has a plan and we are focused on getting through contracts, climbing the middleweight ranks and increasing his financial security along the way.”

Does a fight between Joaquin Buckley and James Krause interest you?