Joaquin Buckley delivered a dominant performance against Colby Covington in the main event of UFC Tampa on Saturday night, and he’s now got his sights on the welterweight gold.
The fight came to an unexpected conclusion when the ringside physician stopped the contest due to a severe cut on Covington’s face. The injury worsened as the fight progressed, sparking concern that the former interim welterweight champion might lose his eyelid. After consulting the doctor, the referee called off the fight.
With this victory, Buckley extended his winning streak to six, further solidifying his place among the UFC elite. He now believes he deserves a title shot after the highly anticipated bout between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov but also envisions a potential matchup against Kamaru Usman in the future.
“I feel like my fight shouldn’t have been stopped. But it is what it is. You gotta protect the fighters,” Buckley remarked post-fight. “2025 is definitely my year, and we’re taking over. This is a six-fight winning streak. I’ve got eight knockouts within the UFC. I feel like I’ve done enough to earn a title shot.”
Buckley expressed his readiness to step in if the Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov fight falls through.
“Even though I know that Shavkat is next — blessings to that fight — if anything happens where Shavkat or Belal doesn’t step up into the octagon, I’m willing to face them,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’re keeping this short. I’m definitely looking to take that throne, man. 2025, bro. So we out, baby. Thank you.”
