While it seemed like everybody, including Dana White, was intrigued by a potential matchup between James Krause and Joaquin Buckley, the UFC ended up going in a different direction.
It all began when Buckley spoke with MMA Fighting following his KO of the Year finish of Impa Kasanganay when he called for a fight with Krause—who then responded to and accepted the callout following his victory over Claudio Silva at UFC Fight Island 6.
The Silva win seemed to come at a price as Krause competed on essentially one leg for the majority of the fight in earning a unanimous decision in the short-notice matchup.