In the main event of the last UFC show of the year, No. 9 Joaquin Buckley beat the brakes off No. 6 Colby Covington for nearly three rounds, forcing a doctor’s stoppage. Buckley looked near flawless in the fight.
Buckley opened a nasty cut on Covington’s right eyelid in the first round, and it was downhill for the former interim champion from there.
Buckley stuffed most of Covington’s takedown attempts throughout the fight.
Covington secured one in the second and another in the third, but both times, Buckley was able to get back to his feet without taking any damage.
As the cut on Covington’s eyelid worsened, it was clear the Octagon doctor was going to stop the fight. Buckley’s shorts and legs were drenched with Covington’s blood, and the latter was attempting to prolong the grappling sequences to keep his eye from taking more damage.
It was to no avail.
At the 4:42 mark of the third round, the doctor stopped the fight. Despite the official result being a TKO doctor’s stoppage, there was no doubt who the better man was in Tampa.
The victorious Buckley all but stomped out any advantage Covington might have had in grappling and landed 75 significant strikes to 37 for the loser. After the fight, Buckley showed an increasingly strong post-fight interview game.
After taking some criticism for his callouts in the past, this time Buckley conducted a quick fan-reaction poll to determine the target of his callout. Buckley gave the fans Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman, and Belal Muhammad.
The fans were the loudest for Usman, which is a good thing as it is the most realistic of the options.
Unfortunately, Buckley may not get that request. There are rumors swirling about Usman potentially facing Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 312 in Sydney in February.
Stay tuned.
Here is a look at the rest of the results.
Cub Swanson defeats Billy Quarantillo by KO at 1:36 of Round 3
One of the greatest fighters in UFC history to never win a championship put on a pulse-pounding performance. In a battle, Swanson, 41, knocked Billy Quarantillo out cold.
Swanson did not retire as some might have expected, but he did draw tons of reactions from his peers.
Manel Kape defeats Bruno Silva by TKO (punches) at 1:57 of Round 3.
Kape made his play for the next shot at Alexandre Pantoja’s title with an impressive TKO finish of Bruno Silva.
Kape fought through three low blows from Silva to secure the finish.
- Dustin Jacoby defeats Vitor Petrino by KO (straight right hand) at 3:44 of Round 3
- Daniel Marcos defeats Adrian Yanez by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Navajo Stirling defeats Tuco Tokkos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Michael Johnson defeats Ottman Azaitar by KO (right hook) at 2:03 of Round 2
Johnson closed the prelims with a thunderous KO. The 38-year-old veteran made it clear he’s not retiring anytime soon, and he has now won two fights in a row.
- Joel Álvarez defeats Drakkar Klose by KO (flying knee) at 2:48 of Round 1
Álvarez has all the looks of a future title contender, even if it’s not at lightweight. He destroyed Drakkar Klose with a flying knee that had the latter fall into a guillotine. However, Klose was already out cold from the knee.
Alvarez says 170 pounds is inevitable for him. We’ll see if Alvarez’s next fight is at 155 or 170/
- Sean Woodson defeats Fernando Padilla by TKO (strikes) at 4:58 of Round 1
Woodson wanted the first-round finish. He got it in a big way with a hellacious combination that scored the KO win over Padilla.
- Felipe Lima defeats Miles Johns by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Miranda Maverick defeats Jamey-Lyn Horth by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Davey Grant defeats Ramon Taveras by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Piera Rodriguez defeats Josefine Knutsson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC Tampa Bonus Winners
Jacoby’s upset KO won him a bonus as did Johnson’s explosive finish. The co-main event between Swanson vs. Quarantillo was the Fight of the Night.
