In the main fight of the evening, Joaquin Buckley tested his rise in the organization by taking on veteran Colby Covington.
The city of Tampa (USA) hosted this Saturday (15th) the last UFC event of 2024. In the main fight of the evening, Joaquin Buckley put his rise in the organization to the test by facing veteran Colby Covington.
Even against a rival who, on multiple occasions, fought for the belt, Buckley was extremely dominant and precise, especially on his feet. A blow landed in the first round caused a cut to the eye of “Chaos”, which caused it to bleed and ended up causing the end of the fight and the victory of “New Mansa”.
The fight
UFC Tampa’s main fight started with little effort from both fighters, but the first big move came when Covington attempted a takedown and a counter from Buckley caused a cut on “Chaos'” right eyebrow, which it started bleeding. The ‘New Mansa’ tried to move up and started to intimidate in stand-up. At the end of the round, a good right hand from Buckley knocked Covington down and the fight almost ended there.
In the second round, Buckley took advantage of a Covington who was barely on his feet and gave it his all, managing to land his shots. The first moment of relative peace for the controversial welterweight came when he managed to grab and, at the fence, take down Buckley. Managing to control from the top, “Chaos” had little offensive action and let his rival take the fight to the top, “New Mansa” regaining control of the fight on the feet
After defending a takedown and not getting one on his end, Buckley entered the third round wanting more and continuing over Covington, who was still bleeding heavily from the cut. ‘Chaos’ tried to break up the fight, succeeding to a certain extent, but seeing his rival have some advantage and also attempting a submission. The former welterweight title challenger continued to fight on the ground and looked for a few punches to intimidate his opponent. “New Mansa” managed to escape and a new shootdown attempt was unsuccessful. After managing to get rid of “Chaos”, referee Dan Miragliotta called the medical team to check the condition of Covington’s eye. After noting that “Chaos” could have taken more damage, he called for the fight to end, which was won by Joaquin Buckley via TKO.
Felipe Lima ‘saves’ Brazil in the last UFC of the year
Brazil had three fighters at UFC Tampa Against the Portuguese Manel Kape, Bruno Bulldog had a chance to extend his four-fight winning streak and get closer to the “title shot” in the flyweight division. The duel proved to be quite fierce from the start, with both fighters using their best weapons to strike, especially Kape with his jabs.
More aggressive than Bruno, the Portuguese provoked and called for a fight, managing to throw his punches until receiving a low blow from the Brazilian who knocked him to the ground and made Bulldog lose a point. Being at a disadvantage in the fight, the Paraíbano went on the attack in the last round, landing good punches that intimidated Kape. He reacted with a strong sequence that culminated with a kick to the body of the Brazilian, who felt the blow. Thus, the fighter of Angolan origin took the opportunity to launch sequences of punches that sent Bulldog to the ground and gave him yet another triumph.
After a defeat, Vitor Petrino sought his rehabilitation in Ultimate by facing Dustin Jacoby. The start was not very offensive, especially from the American, who avoided open exchanges. Petrino, who wanted to fight at close range, succeeded in the second round, landing well with his punches and hitting Jacoby with kicks to the head and a strong right. The Brazilian’s strategy was different in the third round, preferring to fight on the ground without much success. Towards the end, however, a right-footed cross landed squarely on Minas Gerais’ chin, knocking him out and sealing his defeat.
Felipe Lima was the first Brazilian to participate in UFC Tampa, ahead of American Miles Johns. After a successful debut, the Amazon featherweight had total control of the bout in the first round, especially in striking and even disturbing his opponent with his strikes. Felipe’s pressure remained strong even in the second round and not even a “stick” from Johns complicated his fight. The “Jungle Boy” had a chance to surrender in the third round, but failed to do so, which had no impact on his dominant performance, which would have given him the victory.
UFC Tampa – Covington x Buckley Results
Main card
Joaquin Buckley defeated Colby Covington by TKO (medical stoppage at 4:42 of R3)
Cub Swanson defeated Billy Quarantillo by KO (1:36 of R3)
Manel Kape defeats Bruno Bulldog by TKO (1:57 of R3)
Dustin Jacoby defeated Vitor Petrino by KO (3:44 of R3)
Daniel Marcos beat Adrian Yanez by split decision
Navajo Stirling defeated Tuco Tokkos by unanimous decision
Preliminary paper
Michael Johnson defeated Ottman Azaitar by KO (2:03 by R2)
Joel Álvarez defeated Drakkar Klose by KO (2:48 by R1)
Sean Woodson defeated Fernando Padilla via TKO (4:58 by R1)
Felipe Lima beat Miles Johns by unanimous decision of the judges
Miranda Maverick defeated Jamey-Lyn Horth by unanimous decision
Davey Grant defeated Ramon Taveras by unanimous decision
Piera Rodríguez beat Josefine Knutsson by unanimous decision
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
