UFC Tampa Outcome: Buckley Exerts Control Over Covington, Secures TKO Triumph
UFC Tampa Outcome: Buckley Exerts Control Over Covington, Secures TKO Triumph
Joaquin Buckley extended his UFC welterweight win streak to six consecutive victories with a dominant TKO victory over three-time UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington in the main event of the UFC Tampa fight night at Amalie Arena. As for Covington, the former interim UFC champion is currently on a losing streak for the first time in his career after losing the title fight against Leon Edwards in December 2023. Covington entered the UFC Tampa event as the sixth-ranked wrestler in the official UFC welterweight rankings, while Buckley was ranked ninth in the division. Buckley is likely to rise to at least the sixth position in the rankings following his win at the UFC Tampa event.
UFC Tampa Results: Covington vs. Buckley - Round 1
Buckley entered the fight night as a -225 betting favorite over Covington, who was a +185 betting underdog. The betting pick for the contest was Buckley to win by means of a knockout.
Covington had the crowd supporting him at the start of the fight, but Buckley's striking abilities quickly silenced the crowd's cheers.
Covington is not known for his striking abilities, and the gulf in striking prowess between Covington (who has four career knockouts, with one of them being a TKO as a result of a rib injury) and Buckley (who had 14 KOs before the UFC Tampa event) was evident from the outset.
Covington's striking was limited to keeping busy and setting up takedown attempts, while Buckley aimed to end the fight with his power, volume, and shot selection. The problem for Covington was that he had no answer to Buckley's strikes, and his early takedown attempts were few and easy to predict.
Not only were Covington's takedown attempts slow and easy to predict, but his attempts to advance and use his striking to get the clinch were also slow. This gave Buckley the opportunity to tag Covington and retreat without allowing him to get into the desired position.
Buckley mixed up his targets and techniques, applying pressure and landing effective combinations throughout the round. Buckley threw his strikes with force, but he avoided overthrowing, indicating that he was prepared for a long battle and that he was looking to score points, rather than searching for a knockout with every punch. However, he was looking for damage and scoring, which he managed to achieve.
At the end of the first round, Covington's striking effectiveness was a mere 19%, with 10 successful strikes out of 51 attempts, while Buckley had a 41% striking effectiveness, with 23 successful strikes out of 55 attempts. Buckley had also opened a deep cut above Covington's right eye.
UFC Tampa Results: Covington vs. Buckley - Round 2
Covington was more active in the opening of the second round, throwing shorts punches and putting pressure on while looking to take down. However, his first takedown attempt of the round was ill-advised, as Covington attempted to take down while close to the cage. This position of Covington's takedown attempt allowed Buckley to sprawl and put Covington against the cage. Buckley's situational awareness allowed him to score with a knee to the body and a flurry of strikes.
After that, Buckley seemed more cautious about positioning, doing his best to keep the action in the open while not allowing Covington to get too close and work from the clinch. Buckley also did a fantastic job of working the body with his strikes, which seemed to exhaust some of Covington's breath, who was known for his impressive endurance and the ability to keep attacking over five rounds.
Covington secured his only takedown of the fight against the cage with 3:30 remaining in the second round. However, Buckley's activity while on the bottom prevented Covington from landing any short strikes and prevented him from scoring. Covington kept Buckley on the mat for less than 90 seconds without causing any damage or scoring.
Buckley was a little slower with his striking attacks after the takedown, but he still managed to land with force and effectiveness, especially with his jabs for the remainder of the second round.
When the second round ended, Covington had landed 19 out of 51 significant strikes (38%), while Buckley went 28 out of 55 with a 50% striking efficiency.
UFC Tampa Results: Covington vs. Buckley - Round 3
Between the second and third rounds, the cage-side doctor informed referee Dan Miragliotta that she would not let the fight go on for much longer. The cut Covington suffered in the first round was in a bad location, above Covington's eye. The ref then informed Covington, "You heard her. You have to protect that eye." Meckmiraglia then said the same warning to Covington before starting the third round.
To begin the third round, Covington attempted another takedown without any setup, which appeared to be either a sign of desperation or fatigue. The former interim champion suffered as a consequence of his reckless attitude, with Buckley landing body shots before retreating to fight at a distance, demonstrating his power, quickness, and shot selection.
Another failed sloppy takedown briefly left Covington on the ground. When the two fighters stood up, Buckley kept Covington against the cage, unloading strikes, expanding the cut around his eye, and attempting to finish his exhausted and demoralized opponent.
A third sloppy and slow takedown attempt followed, and Covington appeared to be defeated when Buckley looked for opportunities to land strikes while also looking for a submission on the mat. Covington managed to reverse the position with less than two minutes remaining in the third round, but Buckley was controlling his opponent's posture, preventing him from landing any short strikes while covering himself in blood. Buckley's defense prevented any scoring by Covington with his short strikes.
With just 18 seconds left, following their resumption, Miragliotta summoned the doctor back into the ring to scrutinize Covington's injured eye. She swiftly halted the contest, informing the ref, "His eyelid is on the verge of disappearing."
Once more, Buckley emerged triumphant in the third round's striking statistics. He delivered 24 out of 41 powerful blows (58%), whereas Covington managed to connect with 8 out of 23 attempts (34%).
The bout ultimately concluded at 4:42 in the third round.
UFC Tampa Outcomes: Covington vs. Buckley - Dana White's Reactions
"Undeniably, that was a severe laceration, but that fight wouldn't have been halted in Las Vegas," White stated at the UFC Tampa post-event conference. "In Las Vegas, that fight would have continued."
"Colby's an experienced fighter who seldom competes," White continued. "He's consistently durable and resilient, as previously mentioned. Have you listened to the bodily strikes he withstood tonight? The tremendous head blows he took? These would have incapacitated many others. Colby's resilient, yet I also sense he wasn't enraged that the fight was terminated due to the injury. The wound was clearly causing him discomfort."
UFC Tampa Outcomes: Covington vs. Buckley - Dana White on Joaquin Buckley
"Let me tell you, conquering Colby Covington is no small feat," White stated. "Regardless of affection or aversion, [Colby Covington] is a ferocious competitor, as hard as nails ."
"Despite the powerful strikes to his body and the relentless head blows, which could have felled numerous others," White added. "Colby demonstrated his durability and tenacity, but when you sustain a wound, anything can transpire."
UFC Tampa Outcomes: Covington vs. Buckley - Buckley Proposes a Challenge to Kamaru Usman
After the UFC Tampa results were announced, Buckley challenged former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, currently ranked the third-best UFC fighter at 170 pounds.
Following his dominant victory over Colby Covington at UFC Tampa, Joaquin Buckley expressed his desire to challenge former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman for the title. Dana White, UFC President, praised Buckley's performance against the experienced Covington, highlighting his durability and tenacity despite the numerous strikes he received. With his win streak now at seven, encouraged by his recent success, Buckley sees an opportunity to take on Usman and claim the UFC welterweight title.