UFC welterweight Ian Garry will be headlining the upcoming event in Tampa, but not against the opponent he was hoping for.
Garry (15-0), a former Cage Warriors champion and the current #7-ranked UFC contender at 170 pounds, has been calling to clash with Covington ever since the American failed to win the undisputed title for the third time last December.
The Irishman's campaign for that matchup continued after he got the better of Michael "Venom" Page at UFC 303 this past June. In a recent update, Garry claimed to have even been sent an offer to fight Covington in the main event of UFC Fight Night Tampa next month.
"The Future" put the hold-up down to the ex-interim champ, and should his claims be correct, the 36-year-old looks to have rejected the fight.
On Friday, the UFC confirmed that Garry will indeed headline the event in Florida on Dec. 14. But instead of Covington, the Dubliner will do battle with Joaquin Buckley (20-6) to close out the promotion's 2024 schedule.
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Garry's International Fight Week triumph over Page marked his eighth straight since joining MMA's leading promotion in 2021. His campaign this year started with a victory over Geoff Neal, who joined the likes of Daniel Rodriguez and Neil Magny on the Irishman's résumé.
Buckley, meanwhile, has been fast-charging since dropping to welterweight following an inconsistent period at 185 pounds. A 5-0 run that includes wins over Vicente Luque and Stephen Thompson has seen "New Mansa" vault into the top 10, and he'll now look to stake his claim for a first championship opportunity by blemishing "The Future's" record.
The UFC Fight Night in Tampa will go down inside the Amalie Arena. The current fights expected to take place are as follows:
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