Buckley starches 'Wonderboy' with huge right hand

Joaquin Buckley knocked out Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson at the 2:17 mark of the third round in a welterweight bout at UFC 307 on Saturday night at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

The three judges had the fight scored 20-18 Buckley, 20-18 Thompson, and 19-19 heading into the final round.

Buckley struggled to connect throughout the fight due to Thompson's elite defense and footwork, and Thompson busted up Buckley a bit with counter punches. But Buckley finally uncorked a massive right hand midway through the third round that put Thompson on the mat.

After earning the biggest win of his career, Buckley said he believes he's one fight away from a title shot and called out former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Buckley has now won five in a row since moving down to welterweight from middleweight. He's ranked No. 11 in the division and will likely crack into the top 10 after taking out No. 9 Thompson.

"Wonderboy," meanwhile, is riding a two-fight skid and is 1-4 in his last five Octagon appearances. The 41-year-old is a former two-time welterweight title challenger.