Colby Covington was stopped by Joaquin Buckley and the doctors on Saturday night in a one-sided UFC Tampa main event at Amalie Arena.
A sell-out crowd gathered in the famous venue to watch what would 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 to headline in his adopted home country of Florida.
With the legendary Chael Sonnen in his corner, the wrestling star looked to prove his championship credentials after three failed attempts 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 step has been highly anticipated. Meanwhile, Covington had been out of action for more than a year since his last attempt at gold.
The 36-year-old is known to keep himself in fighting shape all year round and stays close to the welterweight limit, meaning he tends to be available at short notice. Be that as it may, he still took time to return 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 multiple times. And he also managed to stuff the first takedown attempt, cutting off his rival in the opening moments.
And in the closing seconds of the first, Buckley dropped Covington with a well-timed right hand that completed a completely dominant round. As blood flowed down from the controversial star's eye, doctors looked at the second eye.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The second round started much as the first had ended, with Buckley landing at will and Covington struggling to reach the legs in search of a takedown. However, two minutes later he scored the takedown and got into side control.
Once on the ground, Covington began to take control and showed off his superior wrestling ability against the hard-hitting Buckley. However, they got back on their feet and the former interim champion's eye seemed to have been opened even further.
The pair began taunting each other as the round ended, with the main issue being Covington's eye as they headed into the corner, where a doctor told Covington not to let the injury linger much further. And Buckley started landing big in the third, even finishing on top.
Buckley was turned onto his back after attempting a triangle near the end of the round, but ultimately it was Covington's cut that stopped the fight. However, the result was reasonable, after a completely dominant show by 'New Mansa'.
Colby Covington claims he offered to save UFC 310
While it appears Covington has little interest in facing Garry, heading into fight week he claimed he had offered to face Rakhmonov in the co-main event of UFC 310. After Belal Muhammad pulled out of his first title defense with a gruesome toe injury, the American saw his way back into the title picture.
In his two attempts 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 the years of minimal activity.
“I called Hunter Campbell when Belal pulled out of the title fight against Shavkat and I wanted to fight Shavkat,” he told ESPN MMA. “I wanted to expose him and prove that the hype wasn't real. So I offered to fight Shavkat, but Hunter wanted to go undefeated.
“So he said, 'Hey, but if you want to fight, we really want you to fight Buckley in the main event in Tampa. Can you come and save the day?' So I said yes. I'm a business man.
“I love this company more than anything. So it's not about giving Buckley a chance, it's about doing good business for the company.”
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