Joaquin Buckley sliced and diced his way to the biggest victory of his career at UFC on ESPN 63.
In Saturday’s main event at Amalie Arena from Tampa, Fla., Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) defeated former title challenger Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) by doctor stoppage due to a cut at 4:42 of Round 3.
Covington was sliced on his right eyebrow early in the fight. As the bout progressed, the cut worsened – enough to the point where the presiding physician said between Rounds 2 and 3 that if it worsened, she was going to stop the fight.
True to her word, when referee Dan Miragliotta called timeout with 18 seconds left in Round 3 for re-examination of the gash, the doctor called off the fight.
Laceration aside, Buckley found much success for the nearly 15 minutes that the fight lasted. Covington was largely unsuccessful with his takedown attempts, though he scored one early in Round 3. Covington’s striking did not have much for Buckley, who conversely was able to land his fair share of blows.
With the win, Buckley continues his flight up the divisional ladder with his sixth win in a row. He polled the crowd with three callout options during his post-fight interview. Kamaru Usman topped Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad in that poll.
Joined by Hulk Hogan on the walkout and Chael Sonnen in his corner, Covington was unable to find the recipe to bounce back from a lackluster December 2023 loss to champion Leon Edwards. Saturday’s defeat was his second-straight loss and his third in four fights.
Due to a Doctor’s Stoppage Joaquin Buckley wins by TKO.#UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/rj6iEjNFkK
— UFC (@ufc) December 15, 2024
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