Joaquin Buckley vs. Colby Covington squared off in a Welterweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. Dec. 14, 2024) at UFC Tampa from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. In an excellent showing, Buckley sliced open and battered Covington en route to a third-round doctor’s stoppage.
The two collided in an immediate and wild exchange to start the fight. When they retreated back to distance, Covington tried to establish his jab. Buckley wasn’t holding back with his offense, firing kicks and combinations. Covington’s first real takedown of the fight came about two minutes in and was met with a heavy sprawl from the knockout artist.
Already, “Chaos” was a bit bloody. Buckley moved well and targeted the body with his punches often. A clubbing left hand scored over the top for “New Mansa,” but Covington answered with a strong connection of his own. Covington was a willing participant in the brawl, but Buckley’s power and speed advantages were clear. “Chaos” went back to the takedown with a minute remaining, but Buckley denied him a second time. Buckley landed a huge shot and floored Covington just before the bell!
Covington returned to his corner with a mask of blood after just five minutes. The cut above his eye looked horrendous.
Covington went back to the takedown early in round two but suffered some abuse for his efforts. Buckley was absolutely ripping the body with knees and punches. Covington needed a momentum shift and got one when he scored his first takedown of the fight with plenty of time to work. Covington controlled for about a minute before his foe escaped upright. The blood was clearly bothering Covington, who wiped his face repeatedly. Meanwhile, Buckley popped the jab and started kicking the lead leg. He landed at least one big combo before the bell, firmly pulling the momentum back into his corner.
Covington’s team was warned between rounds that the cut could stop the fight. A moment later, Buckley was battering “Chaos” all over the Octagon, and that cut was BLEEDING. It really felt like target practice for Buckley, and Covington just could not get his wrestling going in any meaningful way. Somehow, he managed to gain top position anyway when Buckley attempted a triangle choke. As soon as Buckley stood back up, the referee called a pause and brought in the doctor.
The fight was quickly called off.
Some may be unsatisfied by the somewhat anti-climatic cut stoppage, but Buckley deserves full points for beating the life out of Colby Covington. He stopped the vast majority of his shots, and when he was taken down, he stood up quickly and without giving up any bad positions. On the feet, he was accurate and intelligent, breaking down Covington at every level en route to the finish.
It was a great victory for Buckley, plain and simple.
Result: Buckley defeats Covington via third-round doctor stoppage
For complete UFC Tampa results and play-by-play, click here.