Viewers are making fun of Colby Covington for one detail many missed during his stoppage in the main event of UFC Tampa.
The former interim welterweight champion stepped up on short notice to take on Joaquin Buckley in his adopted home state on Saturday night. But he was never able to get going again and was eventually stopped after suffering a horrific cut on his eye.
He made an epic ring walk that night, flanked by legendary WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan and UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen. However, fans noticed a small flaw in his plan, which hurt the presentation of his strike.
Colby Covington walked out of Joaquin Buckley's fight with Hulk Hogan
During the lead-up to his brief UFC return, Colby Covington had teased about bringing a special guest for his ring walk. Some were close friends of the Trump family and theorized that newly elected President Donald Trump would join him on his way to the cage.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
However, it would be virtually impossible to sneak the US President-elect into a location, and he ended up making the walk with WWE icon Hulk Hogan. The pair are both controversial for their various comments both on and off the record, and in reality seemed like a relatively solid duo.
Covington even walked out to Hulk Hogan's famous theme song “Real American” and was roundly booed by the crowd in Tampa. Meanwhile, the wrestling star held up an American flag as he made his way to the octagon.
Fans mock Colby Covington for strike blunder
Unfortunately for Covington, the bad news started before the fight when fans noticed he had made a major move to perform a stunt during his walk. It is common for athletes to wear combat gear all the way to the octagon before removing their tops and being checked by officials.
However, Covington chose to channel Hulk Hogan and take off his shirt in dramatic fashion. To do that effectively, however, he had to make small cuts in the fabric of his outfit, which became apparent to those who looked closely.
Fans quickly took to social media to troll Covington for doing something so crazy, and theoretically not being able to legitimately rip open his shirt. Misfits Boxing commentator Ben Davis noticed it first, writing to his followers: “Colby cut his shirt before ripping it in half. Please cut this idiot off.”
Strawweight contender Diana Belbita also spotted the hilarious blunder, adding: “Colby already had his shirt cut before he ripped it.” When a fan responded, “Well, UFC fight gear would be pretty hard to just rip,” she noted that Ian Machado Garry's real fight pants tore last week.
Colby Covington was stopped by Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa
The fight didn't go Covington's way either, with doctors stepping in to cancel the fight after he suffered a horrific cut early that continued to worsen. It appeared a punch on the way to a takedown attempt struck him and opened his eye socket, which worried the doctors between rounds.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
However, the cut didn't really have much effect, with Buckley dominating virtually from the opening bell. He seemed to find his striking range early, landing big shots at will while avoiding the threat of the takedown and landing a knockdown at the end of the first.
Covington managed to take him down in the second, but not for long and the fight quickly returned to the feet. By the third, it was clear which direction the fight was going, and the doctors didn't even consider allowing Covington to continue. It is his second defeat in a row.
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