Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo can envision Colby Covington falling to a losing skid courtesy of Joaquin Buckley next month.
Covington is set to make his return to the Octagon a year on from his third failed bid at achieving undisputed champion status on mixed martial arts' biggest stage.
After two setbacks opposite Kamaru Usman, the former interim titleholder most recently fell short against Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 296. In the eyes of many, that loss marked the likely end of his pursuit of the welterweight mountaintop.
"Chaos," however, sees things differently. He's vowed throughout the year to bounce back, secure another opportunity, and be crowned kingpin. And his first step toward that comes in a late-notice showdown with Buckley in Tampa.
Covington is set to headline a UFC Fight Night close to home on Dec. 14, marking the final fight inside the Octagon of 2024. That was originally set be between Ian Garry and Buckley, but after the Irishman was drafted in to fight Shavkat Rakhnmonov at UFC 310 a week prior, Covington has stepped in to meet "New Mansa."
During an episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast alongside fellow former UFC champion Usman, Cejudo commented on the new pairing set to close the show inside Amalie Arena.
"Triple C" gave a disparaging assessment of Covington's current game, suggesting that the "predictable" nature of it could lead to a knockout loss at the hands of the powerful Buckley.
The style that Colby Covington is doing is so predictable now,” Cejudo said. “The fact that they see him lose time and time again, whether it’s with Leon Edwards or yourself (Usman), it’s there. Once you stop Colby’s takedowns, things will fall into place.
Look at how Joaquin covers distance, bro. Double feints, dipping in to eventually stop a dude like ‘Wonderboy.’ So, I’m high on this kid. This kid is dangerous," Cejudo continued. "I can see Colby Covington losing via stoppage to a guy like Joaquin Buckley, and I truly do believe that.
Buckley, the #9-ranked contender who is coming off a knockout win over Stephen Thompson, will look to prove Cejudo right by becoming only the second man to stop Covington with strikes after "Triple C's" podcast co-host, Usman.
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