UFC Tampa: Joaquin Buckley Dominates Colby Covington in a Bloody Main Event

The final UFC fight card of 2024 concluded with a bang in Tampa, Florida, delivering a night of exciting matchups and unexpected finishes. While the preliminary fights showcased a mix of decisions and stoppages, the main card truly ignited the crowd with a series of impressive performances, culminating in the main event clash between Joaquin Buckley and Colby Covington.

The Undercard: A Mix of Decisions and Knockouts

The evening began with a series of compelling bouts. Navajo Stirling, a recent Dana White’s Contender Series graduate, made a successful UFC debut, sweeping the scorecards against Tuco Tokkos with a dominant display of striking. The City Kickboxing man showcased his striking prowess, mixing his targets effectively throughout the match. Tokkos had moments of success using his wrestling in the second round, but Stirling's superior striking at range proved decisive. This fight showcased Stirling’s potential, though he is still considered a work in progress. He has shown impressive skills for someone with a handful of MMA fights. Stirling's victory follows the same trajectory seen in his teammate, Carlos Ulberg.

Another notable preliminary fight saw Daniel Marcos remain undefeated after a hard-fought split decision victory over Adrian Yañez. Both bantamweights traded blows throughout the first two rounds, with Marcos landing the more impactful strikes. While Marcos's pace slowed in the final round, his early dominance secured the win. This victory moves Marcos to 4-0 with one no contest in the UFC and an overall record of 17-0, showing his impressive journey in the bantamweight division.

The momentum continued with Dustin Jacoby securing a knockout victory over Vitor Petrino. Down on the scorecards, Jacoby landed a decisive right hand, instantly ending the contest. This victory was particularly satisfying for Jacoby, who had suffered a first-round finish in his previous fight. The knockout marked the second time Petrino had been finished by members of the Factory X Muay Thai squad.

Manel Kape also delivered a dominant performance, stopping Bruno Silva in the third round. Kape’s fast and dangerous striking proved too much for Silva, despite Silva landing a trio of low blows. Kape’s performance has reignited talk of a future title opportunity. If he maintains this level of performance, he could be in the mix in 2025 for a championship.

The co-main event saw Cub Swanson end his bout against Billy Quarantillo with a powerful right hand, showcasing that the veteran still possesses knockout power. This win was another classic, memorable performance for the former WEC standout and UFC Hall of Fame inductee.

The Main Event: Buckley vs. Covington – A Fight For the Ages

The highly anticipated main event between Joaquin Buckley and Colby Covington was a clash of styles that did not disappoint. Buckley, known for his explosive power and captivating style, looked to continue his momentum against the formidable Covington, a former interim welterweight champion known for his wrestling and relentless pressure. Covington entered the fight on short notice after Buckley’s original opponent, Ian Machado Garry, was moved to a fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov.

The fight began with Buckley immediately setting an aggressive pace, landing strikes with precision and stuffing Covington’s takedown attempts. He opened a cut over Covington’s right eye early in the first round. Covington landed some strikes but Buckley outstruck him round after round. Buckley's power was evident, especially in the first round when he dropped Covington with a right hand. Covington managed to secure a takedown in the second round, but Buckley quickly returned to his feet and continued to dominate on the feet.

The third round showed the same dominance from Buckley, even briefly taking top position. With Covington's eye bleeding heavily, the referee called in the doctor, who deemed Covington unfit to continue, resulting in a TKO victory for Buckley. Covington’s eye injury, which began with a grazing uppercut and progressively worsened with each subsequent strike, ultimately played a significant role in ending the fight. Buckley dominated the striking exchanges throughout the fight, showing his improvements since moving to welterweight in 2023. This victory solidified Buckley’s position as a legitimate threat in the 170-pound division. He called for his next fight, asking the crowd to choose between Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad. The crowd’s choice, Usman, would be an exciting matchup for Buckley.

A Changing of the Guard at Welterweight

Buckley's victory signals a potential shift in the welterweight division. With the likes of Covington, Kamaru Usman, and Gilbert Burns seemingly in the twilight of their careers, a new generation of fighters, including Buckley, Rakhmonov, Della Maddalena, and Garry, are emerging as top contenders. Buckley's win extends his impressive winning streak to six, and his performance in Tampa cements his position as one of the division's rising stars.

Post-Fight Reactions and the Future

The social media reaction to the fight was immediate and intense, showcasing mixed reactions. Fans and fighters alike were quick to share their opinions on the fight’s outcome, while several fighters were not shy about their thoughts on Colby's performance. Buckley's post-fight callout added another layer of excitement to the narrative. This impressive victory will likely lead to another big fight for him in 2025. He finished 2024 with a 3-0 record and knockouts over Covington and Stephen Thompson.

This fight was a clear display of Buckley's dominance and potential, marking the end of a remarkable year for him. The night’s events in Tampa left fans anticipating what the future holds for this rising star.

The final UFC event of 2024 concluded with Joaquin Buckley's impressive victory.

The final UFC fight of 2024 showcased many exciting matchups and impressive wins.