Colby Covington was stopped by Joaquin Buckley and the doctors in a one-sided UFC Tampa main event on Saturday night at the Amalie Arena.
A sold-out crowd packed into the famous venue to watch what was due to be a clash between Buckley and Ian Machado Garry. However, when the Irishman stepped up to save the UFC 310 co-main event against Shavkat Rakhmonov, Covington came in to headline in his adopted home of Florida.
With the legendary Chael Sonnen in his corner, the wrestling star looked to prove his championship credentials after three failed efforts at undisputed gold. Meanwhile, the hard-hitting Buckley looked to continue his impressive knockout form.
Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley RESULT
Following a stunning knockout win over Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson at UFC 307 in October, Buckley’s next move was heavily anticipated. Meanwhile, Covington had been out of action for over a year since his last effort at the gold.
The 36-year-old is known to keep himself in fight shape and near the welterweight limit year-round, meaning he tends to be available on short notice. Be that as it may, he still took his time coming back to the octagon after his loss to Leon Edwards.
Buckley was aggressive early, giving Covington a taste of his famed power as he pushed the pace and landed on multiple occasions. And he managed to stuff the first effort at a takedown as well, cutting his rival in the opening moments.
And in the final seconds of the first, Buckley dropped Covington with a well-timed right hand that completed a totally dominant round. As blood flowed down from the controversial star’s eye, doctors took a look heading into the second.
Round two began much how the first had ended, with Buckley landing at will and Covington struggling to get to the legs in search of a takedown. However, two minutes in, he scored the takedown and made his way into side control.
Once on the ground, Covington began to take control, showing off his superior wrestling to the hard-hitting Buckley. However, they made it back to the feet, and the former interim champion’s eye appeared to have opened up even further.
The pair began to taunt each other as the round ended, with the key issue being Covington’s eye as they headed into the cornern, where a doctor told Covington she wouldn’t let the injury go much further. And Buckley began to land big in the third, even ending up on top himself.
Buckley was turned on to his back after attempting a triangle towards the end of the round, but in the end it was Covington’s cut that ended up seeing the bout stopped. However, the result was a fair one, after a completely dominant showing from ‘New Mansa’.
Colby Covington claims he offered to save UFC 310
While it seems that Covington has little interest in facing Garry, he claimed heading into fight week that he had offered to face Rakhmonov in the co-main event of UFC 310. After Belal Muhammad pulled out of his first title defence with a gruesome toe injury, the American saw his way back into the title picture.
On his two efforts against Kamaru Usman and last year against Edwards, Covington was unable to prove his world title credentials. He is a former interim champion, but has been inconsistent over years of minimal activity.
“I called Hunter Campbell when Belal backed out of the title fight against Shavkat and I wanted to fight Shavkat,” he told ESPN MMA. “I wanted to expose him and prove the hype wasn’t real. So, I offered to fight Shavkat but Hunter wanted to go the direction of undefeated.
“So, he said, ‘Hey, but if you want to fight, we would really want you to fight Buckley in the main event in Tampa. Can you come save the day?’ So, I said yeah. I’m a company man.
“I love this company more than anything. So, this isn’t about giving Buckley an opportunity, this is about doing good business for the company.”
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