This past Saturday night in the main event of UFC Tampa, we saw a big time welterweight matchup. Former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington (17-5) was returning for the first time since his title loss last December and he took on “New Mansa” Joaquin Buckley (21-6).
It’s been a very interesting few years for “Chaos” Colby Covington. Covington was 15-1 in December 2019 when he took on Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title. He gave Usman a tough fight but ultimately fell short. After dominating Tyron Woodley, he faced Usman in a rematch and lost a decision. After a lopsided win over Jorge Masvidal, Covington got another shot at the undisputed title but lost to Leon Edwards.
In non-undisputed title fights in the UFC, Colby Covington was 12-1 entering Saturday night. Covington didn’t look like he was in peak condition when he entered the octagon and his performance reflected that. Covington stated that he took the fight without a true training camp and he didn’t look great in there.
He had moments, but it was all about Joaquin Buckley on Saturday night. Buckley cut Covington bad in the first round and the cut became worse throughout the three rounds. The doctors called a stop to the fight near the end of the third round giving Covington his first non-title fight loss in the UFC since 2015.
What’s next after UFC Tampa?
Colby Covington turns 37-years-old in February and if he wants to fulfill his dream of becoming UFC champion, he really has to turn things around. He can blame this loss on a cut and on a lack of training camp but at the end of the day, he took the fight and he has to own up to the result.
The reality is that Colby Covington is just 2-4 since December 2019. He needs to have a performance in his next fight that shows that he’s a legit contender at 170 and not just the butt of a joke. Covington became the UFC’s biggest heel over the last few years, but a heel is only taken seriously whenever they perform at a high level and we haven’t seen that from Covington in his last two fights.
In terms of what’s next, I’d love to see him back in there sometime in the spring with a full training camp. Looking at the rankings, I love the idea of a Gilbert Burns fight. Vicente Luque could be another option or even a fight with former title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Someone along those lines should be next for Covington.