Undefeated Ian Machado Garry To Face Joaquin Buckley In December 14th UFC Headliner

A clash between flashy ranked strikers at welterweight will close out UFC’s 2024 schedule.

Undefeated Ian Machado Garry and rising talent Joaquin Buckley have been paired up for the main event of UFC’s December 14th “Fight Night” card from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, USA, per an announcement made by the promotion Friday.

The matchup is a big test for Machado Garry, an Irish contender who has yet to lose through eight UFC appearances. The 26-year-old former Cage Warriors champ has slowly ascended the ranks of the welterweight division since his 2021 promotional debut, getting past experienced names like Michael Page and Neil Magny in recent appearances.

Saturday will mark the first main event UFC appearance for Machado Garry, although it won’t be his first time competing in a five-round bout. He notably went a combined 25 minutes in his 2021 regional bout against PFL vet Jack Grant, winning on scorecards.

Also appearing in his first UFC main event, Buckley will try to continue his current impressive run. The former middleweight talent has yet to lose since returning to the 170-pound class last year, having picked up five consecutive victories since then.

He scored a brutal knockout win in his most recent appearance, stopping veteran Stephen Thompson with a right hook at UFC 307 last month. The upcoming fight is a chance for Buckley to jump up the rankings, as he sits ninth in the weight class and trails Machado Garry by two spots.

Now with a main event in place, here’s how UFC’s end-of-year card from Tampa looks:

Bout 11: Ian Machado Garry (15-0) vs. Joaquin Buckley (20-6) (Welterweight)
Bout 10: Amanda Ribas (12-5) vs. Mackenzie Dern (14-5) (Strawweight)
Bout 9: Dustin Jacoby (19-9-1) vs. Vitor Petrino (11-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Tracy Cortez (11-2) vs. Miranda Maverick (14-5) (Flyweight)
Bout 7: Manel Kape (19-7) vs. Bruno Silva (14-5-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: Cub Swanson (29-14) vs. Billy Quarantillo (18-6) (Featherweight)
Bout 5: Said Nurmagomedov (18-3) vs. Adrian Yanez (17-5) (Bantamweight)
Bout 4: Navajo Stirling (5-0) vs. Tuco Tokkos (10-4) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 3: Davey Grant (13-7) vs. Ramon Taveras (10-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Drakkar Klose (15-2-1) vs. Joel Alvarez (21-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Sean Woodson (12-1-1) vs. Fernando Padilla (16-5) (Featherweight)