Joaquin Buckley gets UFC on ESPN 56 co-main assignment vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

The UFC’s upcoming trip to St. Louis now has a co-main event.

Joaquin Buckley gets his wish to compete in a key matchup at the event, as he will take on Nursulton Ruziboev in a co-main welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 56 (ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place May 11 at Enterprise Center.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the matchup Wednesday on Instagram. The event is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between former title challenger Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento.

Although it’s not the main event that Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) asked for when he crashed the UFC 300 pre-fight press conference, “New Mansa” gets a big spot in his hometown against a fellow finisher in Ruziboev (34-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

Buckley has been on a tear since dropping from middleweight to welterweight. He made the shift last May, and has racked up three wins, including a big ground and pound finish over Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 54 in March.

Ruziboev hasn’t seen Round 2 since 2019. He’s currently running super hot on a 10-fight, first-round stoppage streak that includes finishes of Brunno Ferreira and Sedriques Dumas under the UFC banner. He will be dropping down to 170 pounds for the first time since 2021, when he won the fight to spark his current streak.

With the addition, the current UFC on ESPN 56 lineup includes:

• Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
• Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
• Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg
• Jared Gooden vs. Kevin Jousset
• Tabatha Ricci vs. Tecia Torres
• Alex Caceres vs. Sean Woodson
• Jake Hadley vs. Charles Johnson
• Terrance McKinney vs. Esteban Ribovics
• Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Chase Hooper
• Billy Goff vs. Trey Waters
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Robelis Despaigne
• Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Rebecki