Tag: Joaquin Buckley

Colby Covington Opens Up About Chael Sonnen’s Near Towel Throw At UFC Tampa

Colby Covington fully acknowledges the gravity of Chael Sonnen’s revelation that he was moments away from throwing in the towel during UFC Tampa. Earlier this month, Covington stepped into the Octagon against Joaquin Buckley in the main event of the final UFC Fight Night of 2024. From the opening bell to the fight’s dramatic conclusion, […]

Colby Covington fully acknowledges the gravity of Chael Sonnen’s revelation that he was moments away from throwing in the towel during UFC Tampa.

Earlier this month, Covington stepped into the Octagon against Joaquin Buckley in the main event of the final UFC Fight Night of 2024. From the opening bell to the fight’s dramatic conclusion, “Chaos” found himself overwhelmed by Buckley’s relentless onslaught, resulting in a TKO (doctor stoppage) defeat.

“New Mansa” unleashed brutal combinations that left Covington struggling to keep up. A vicious uppercut in the first round opened a deep gash above the former UFC interim welterweight champion’s eye, causing a torrent of blood that worsened with every subsequent strike.

By the third round, referee Dan Miragliotta was compelled to halt the action, calling the Octagon-side doctor to assess the gruesome gash above Covington’s eye. After a brief evaluation, the doctor advised Miragliotta to stop the fight, deeming the injury too severe to continue.

After the fight, Sonnen, who served as Covington’s cornerman, shared on his YouTube channel that, in light of the injury’s nature, he was prepared to throw in the towel himself — if the doctor or referee didn’t take action first.

During a recent Twitch stream, “Chaos” reflected on Sonnen’s decision and expressed that he harbors no ill will toward his mentor. The 36-year-old Californian admitted that, while the moment was tough to swallow, he recognizes it as a well-judged call given the circumstances, no matter how challenging it may have been.

“Chael cares about me. He’s a real one,” Covington said. “If he was throwing it in, it’s because he knows that I couldn’t see. He knows that where the cut was at, it was bleeding into my right eye and I couldn’t see. I was seeing three of four different people.

“He knew that I couldn’t see. So if he’s going to do it, it’s because he cares about me and he knows that I couldn’t see and that was going to be tough to overcome. I thought I was coming on stronger, and I feel like they were going to have to throw in the towel for Buckley by the end of round five. So it sucks, it’s unfortunate.”

Covington is currently navigating the most difficult stretch of his career, having posted a 2-4 record in his last six UFC bouts, which includes three defeats in high-stakes title fights.

Colby Covington Motivated To ‘Prove People Wrong’ After ‘Cheat Job’ vs. Joaquin Buckley

Former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington insists he is far from finished. Covington’s hopes of a fourth crack at securing the undisputed crown at 170 pounds suffered a big blow this past weekend in Tampa, where he headlined the year-ending UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena opposite Joaquin Buckley. The charging “New Mansa” entered […]

Former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington insists he is far from finished.

Covington’s hopes of a fourth crack at securing the undisputed crown at 170 pounds suffered a big blow this past weekend in Tampa, where he headlined the year-ending UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena opposite Joaquin Buckley.

The charging “New Mansa” entered the contest riding momentum from three straight wins earlier in the year, and he remained unbeaten at welterweight at Covington’s expense on Dec. 14.

After dominating through two rounds, Buckley had his hand raised in the third frame when a cut above Covington’s right eye was deemed too severe for him to continue. “Chaos” unsurprisingly used the doctor’s stoppage as a means to peddle his usual excuses post-fight.

And that continued during a recent Twitch stream, during which the 36-year-old dismissed any suggestions that he is done in the sport and expressed excitement at the possibility of proving his detractors wrong in 2025.

“I’m motivated, man. I want to prove people wrong,” Covington said. “Dude, that was a bullsh*t stoppage, let’s be honest. I was still in the fight. I was getting takedowns. He was getting slower. None of his punches did any significant damage. … I feel like there was an eye poke or something…an inadvertent one. I couldn’t see, I was out of one eye.

“I’m a warrior. That’s what I signed up for. I love this sh*t. Let me go out on my shield though,” Covington continued. “It was a bullsh*t stoppage. Fake stoppage. Another f*cking cheat job.”

With the result last Saturday, “Chaos” is now 2-4 across his last six fights and 0-4 against those currently ranked inside the welterweight top 15.

Colby Covington Motivated To ‘Prove People Wrong’ After ‘Cheat Job’ vs. Joaquin Buckley

Former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington insists he is far from finished. Covington’s hopes of a fourth crack at securing the undisputed crown at 170 pounds suffered a big blow this past weekend in Tampa, where he headlined the year-ending UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena opposite Joaquin Buckley. The charging “New Mansa” entered […]

Former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington insists he is far from finished.

Covington’s hopes of a fourth crack at securing the undisputed crown at 170 pounds suffered a big blow this past weekend in Tampa, where he headlined the year-ending UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena opposite Joaquin Buckley.

The charging “New Mansa” entered the contest riding momentum from three straight wins earlier in the year, and he remained unbeaten at welterweight at Covington’s expense on Dec. 14.

After dominating through two rounds, Buckley had his hand raised in the third frame when a cut above Covington’s right eye was deemed too severe for him to continue. “Chaos” unsurprisingly used the doctor’s stoppage as a means to peddle his usual excuses post-fight.

And that continued during a recent Twitch stream, during which the 36-year-old dismissed any suggestions that he is done in the sport and expressed excitement at the possibility of proving his detractors wrong in 2025.

“I’m motivated, man. I want to prove people wrong,” Covington said. “Dude, that was a bullsh*t stoppage, let’s be honest. I was still in the fight. I was getting takedowns. He was getting slower. None of his punches did any significant damage. … I feel like there was an eye poke or something…an inadvertent one. I couldn’t see, I was out of one eye.

“I’m a warrior. That’s what I signed up for. I love this sh*t. Let me go out on my shield though,” Covington continued. “It was a bullsh*t stoppage. Fake stoppage. Another f*cking cheat job.”

With the result last Saturday, “Chaos” is now 2-4 across his last six fights and 0-4 against those currently ranked inside the welterweight top 15.

Colby Covington: The Doctor Beat Me At UFC Tampa, Not Joaquin Buckley

Colby Covington does not believe that he was beaten by the better man in the main event of the final UFC event of 2024 this past weekend. The former interim welterweight champion stepped in on several weeks notice to take on Joaquin Buckley at the Amalie Arena after Ian Machado Garry was moved into the […]

Colby Covington does not believe that he was beaten by the better man in the main event of the final UFC event of 2024 this past weekend. The former interim welterweight champion stepped in on several weeks notice to take on Joaquin Buckley at the Amalie Arena after Ian Machado Garry was moved into the co-main event of UFC 310.

The fight ended in the third round after the doctor waved the fight off due to a cut above the right eye of Covington. “New Mansa” appeared to open up the cut with an uppercut early on in the fight which continued to get worse as Buckley dominated the contest.

In between rounds, the doctor had even warned Covington ahead of time that if he didn’t do a better job or protecting the eye, she would be forced to stop the fight, claiming that he would lose the eyelid if he continued past the third round. The cut was significant but we have certainly seen fights continue with worse injuries and that sentiment was echoed by both Dana White and “Chaos” himself.

Covington spoke in a behind the scenes video posted on his YouTube channel about the outcome of the fight and how badly he was impacted by the cut. Despite this, he still believes that it shouldn’t have been stopped and that in his opinion, the fight was starting to turn in his favor. At the time of the stoppage, all three judges had Buckley winning both of the first two rounds.

“We came in close contact, and I felt like there was a headbutt, and as soon as it cut in the first round, I couldn’t see,” Covington said. “I had blurred vision, I was seeing three different people, I was like, ‘F**k, which one do I punch?’ I didn’t know what to do. I was kind of confused, but I knew I had to keep fighting. I had to give the UFC and the fans a show. That’s what they pay their hard-earned money to come for and I’m a warrior. We’re gladiators. I’m not going to stop.

“I’ve had way worse in fights than a little cut over my eye, so it’s unfortunate that the doctor stopped the fight like that because if we’re in Vegas, I know the fight gets to keep going. I feel like I was really just starting to gain momentum. Like I was starting to wear him out, I could see him breathing out of his mouth. There wasn’t as much volume at that point, so I feel like it was going to be my fight in the championship rounds, so it was an unfortunate stop and I feel like the doctor is the one that beat me tonight. I didn’t feel like I lost to another opponent.”

UFC Rankings Report: Colby Covington On The Brink Of Top 10 Exit After Tampa Defeat

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Tampa, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: No changes. Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes. Women’s Strawweight: No changes. Women’s […]

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Tampa, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: Miranda Maverick didn’t perform as she had hoped on Saturday night, but she still got the job done over Jamey-Lyn Horth and has returned to the UFC rankings as a result. She’s now at #15, with her entry pushing out Casey O’Neill entirely.

Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.

Flyweight: Manel Kape was among the biggest winners to emerge from 2024’s final event, as he put on a show en route to stopping Bruno Silva with strikes in round three. “Starboy” has subsequently climbed three places to #6. The defeated Brazilian, meanwhile, has dropped one spot behind Charles Johnson (#12) to #13.

Bantamweight: No changes.

Featherweight: No changes.

Lightweight: No changes.

Welterweight: The final UFC winner of this year was Joaquin Buckley, who dominated former interim champion Colby Covington to stake his claim for a title eliminator next time out. The victory has seen “New Mansa” surge three places up the ladder to #6. “Chaos” has gone the same distance the other way, leaving him at #9 and on the brink of exiting the division’s top 10.

Middleweight: No changes.

Light Heavyweight: No changes.

Heavyweight: No changes.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Kamaru Usman Gives Frustrated Response To Joaquin Buckley Callout: ‘No One’s Listening To What I’m Saying!’ 

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is evidently tired of responding to callouts. The latest to have “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” name on his lips was Joaquin Buckley, who included the ex-titleholder among his options for 2025 after emerging victorious from the final UFC main event and fight of this year. After a 5-0 start to […]

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is evidently tired of responding to callouts.

The latest to have “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” name on his lips was Joaquin Buckley, who included the ex-titleholder among his options for 2025 after emerging victorious from the final UFC main event and fight of this year.

After a 5-0 start to life at 170 pounds, Buckley had the opportunity to climb the ladder into contention in the division by sharing the cage with Colby Covington. “New Mansa” made the most of it, beating up and bloodying “Chaos” through two rounds before a deep cut forced a doctor’s stoppage in the third.

While Buckley was widely ridiculed for his callout of Conor McGregor post-fight earlier this year, he delivered an improved promo this time around by opening up the floor for the audience at Amalie Arena to select their preference for his next fight.

The biggest cheers were when a clash opposite Usman was pitched.

During the latest episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast alongside fellow former UFC champion Henry Cejudo, Usman reacted to yet another rising welterweight figure expressing interest in a fight.

Suffice to say, the former champ is tired of repeating himself.

“It’s almost like no ones listening to what I’m saying,” Usman said. “No one’s getting what I’m saying. Shavkat, Belal, Ian, Buckley, JDM — I don’t care who it is.

“One thing I won’t do, which is what I’ve done for so long and too much, which is partially why I’m having to take this layoff, is compete when I’m not ready,” Usman continued. “When I am healthy, I don’t care who it is.”

Usman evidently has no qualms about Buckley being his next opponent. Whether the UFC will give the green light for that matchup, however, remains to be seen.

Regardless, “New Mansa” is no doubt in line for a high-profile opponent next time out — one that will give him the chance to stake his claim for a first title shot on MMA’s biggest stage.